Laurel
by Jane Eyre Rochester
Summary: Cedric knew it. Slytherins are evil. They use and hurt young Hufflepuffs for their fun. And Daphne Greengrass is a true Slytherin. Too much for Cedric Diggory to deal with?...maybe, but Hufflepuffs are known to be patient...CedricXDaphne
1. Chapter 1

I think that Daphne Greengrass needs more life in the books. And, and I also think that Cedric is too good to be dead. Set during the 3rd book!

1. FALLING

It was a second.

In a second all of their books were scattered in front of the entrance of the Great Hall, together with two students.

"No no no no no!" the girl quickly stood up, and began collecting her notes, books and everything that had escaped her school bag, her wavy hair and bangs covering most of her face.

Cedric Diggory had fallen pretty hard, and was still on the ground, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Well, nothing much, actually. He was coming in, she was coming out, and then next thing he knew was the pain in the back of his head, when he hit the ground. Now, if he hadn't been Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts' golden boy, a loud curse would have escaped his lips, loud enough to make the walls of the Hall tremble.

"Bloody hell" he murmured.

"Idiot! Did no one ever teach you to look before you walk into a crowded room? Are you blind, Hufflepuff?!"

"10 points less for Hufflepuff" an annoying, all too well known voice proclaimed. "For attempting to kill one of my students". Severus Snape looked at the boy on the ground with vehemence.

"Hei! That's unfair!" someone yelled. A look of the Slytherin

"Thank you, Professor Snape." The girl said, as the teacher had already begun to walk by the corridors.

As the girl kept on covering him with insults, the Hufflepuff prefect stood up and stared at her. Every word coming out of her mouth was dripping venom. Woah.

The boy grabbed his notes and quills, and, after dustying off his pants, he collected some of her notes and handed them to the girl.

She literally grabbed them from his hands and threw them uncerimoniously in her bag.

Cedric was puzzled.

After a couple of moments, the golden boy in him woke up. He was supposed to apologize. Well, he was not exactly sure if it was **him** the one who had to apologize, but still…

"Listen, I am…" he began, looking away from her.

Too late, Ced.

The girl was already running down the corridors, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "he didn't even apologize, the jerk".

He stared until she disappeared, and then entered the Great Hall.

When he joined his friends at the Hufflepuff table, he was welcomed by a loud laugh.

"Yee, this is our man!" Finch-Fletchley exclaimed

"Cedric Diggory, the one who makes girls **falling **at his feet 90 of his time!" Wayne Hopkins was chukling like a little girl, assuming his had been the best of all jokes.

"What about the 10?" MacMillan inquired.

Hopkins rolled his eyes. "That's personal business and asking it would be impolite, wouldn't it…"

"Shut up, boys" he muttered, his rosy cheeks lighting up.

"So how was it, falling on Miss Greengrass?" his younger friend smirked.

"On who?" Cedric asked "No, wait, I don't really care." He grabbed his notes, and sank into his studies.

"She'd be the perfect girl" Zacharias Smith, the Hufflepuff Quidditch team Chaser stated.

"If she wasn't so snob" commented Justin.

"..and so bad-mouthed…" added Wayne

MacMillan nodded in agreement, before he added "…and so Slytherin."

Cedric burst into laughter. "Yes, she just **had** to be Slytherin! She didn't even let me speak and she was already fuming down the corridors because I hadn't apologised."

"Daphne Greengrass is pure evil" whispered Smith, in a low, solemn voice. "If You-know-who had a daughter, it would be her."

"Looks damn good, tho. Think she's in my year" Ernie said.

"Too skinny, for my likings. There's more than meets the eye in that chick, she is frightening. Wonder how Roger Davies can put up with her." Finch-Fletchley shook his head.

"Davies? Ravenclaw Davies?" asked Diggory, rather interested.

"Do you know any other Roger Davies?"

"What do you mean by 'put up with her'?" Cedric was chewing on his quill, completely oblivious of the 22 inches assignment he had for Potions. He was not really into…mixing rotten eyes and stuff to obtain even more rotten-looking liquids. Yes, Potions was not really his subject.

"Means they're dating, mate. A couple of months. Davies looks rather worn out, tho." Smith smirked.

"Oh, I'd sell a kidney to be worn out by that girl" MacMillan's face turned into a wolfish grin.

"No way dude, if I had anything to do with her, we would end up killing each other. And I would be the one to die, Slytherins are so…" Justin

"Is she really this bad?!" Cedric was cleaning his mouth with the back of his hand, fragments of his bitten quill all over him

"No" Hopkins stated, serious. "She is way worse."

Cedric sighed; it was clear by now that he would have just wasted his time, trying to study in the Great Hall with the others. He grabbed all his papers and stood up, heading for the door.

"Ced! Hei Ced! You're forgetting this!" Finch-Fletchley called him, waving a parchment.

Cedric went back to the table and grabbed it, taking a quick look as he was once again walking towards the door.

"Blimey…" he muttered "…this is **not** mine…"

A/N. So? What do you think? I am loving it. but…I am going on only if you think it's worth it!

Read and review, pleeease! 3


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yayyy, so, instead of studying French (I'm having exams, siiigh) I wrote another chappie.

Noc007: perfect not all the girls in the world are perfect like miss Cho or miss Granger, don't you think?

elenamindollin: good that you like it, cos, 100 honest, I have NO idea where this is going! I have a few things in mind, but I don't have it all planned yet. Guess it's for the best, I can always change my mind :)

and thanks to SupernaturalLove, too! Now, on with the story.

2. SLYTHERIN TALK

"Bloody Hufflepuff" said a very enraged Daphne Greengrass emptying the content of her bag on one of the tables of the Slytherin common room, down in the dungeons under the lake.

"What's wrong?" Blaise Zabini did not seem that interested in the girl's problems, judging from the way he was lying on the couch, his head on the armrest and an open book hiding his face. Probably, the girl thought, he just wanted her to stop cursing and making noise.

"Bloody Hufflepuff messed my things up. Hell, look at my quills!" she stated, staring at a new set of quills all broken in two. Not to mention, the ink bottle was practically empty.

"Oh, that's bad." said Blaise, not moving an inch from where he was, and certainly not looking.

Daphne needed a quill.

She had Arithmancy and Potions assignments, and she just **needed** a god-forsaken quill.

The fourth-year Slytherin took a look around, sighing.

"You" she said coldly, dark eyes on a group of chuckling first-years, focusing on no one in particular. The little boys froze.

Daphne leaned a hand, not looking at them anymore. "Give me your quill." She ordered.

"Why?" one timidly demanded. Sigh. God, the Sorting Hat really needed to do better his job. What kind of baby-Slytherins were they?! A true Slytherin would have simply said 'no'. Ah, the last good ones had been those of her year. Well, they'll learn, eventually. Draco Malfoy was an exquisite example of Slytherin-ess.

"Because I say so. Because I am older and you are just children. Now, give me that quill or I'll hex you." Her commanding tone admitted no reply, and soon she had her much needed quill.

The group quickly stood up and left, silently, not wanting to get Stunned.

She removed her green and silver tie and unbuttoned the first buttons of her shirt, and wrapped up the sleeves. Hair combed into a high ponytail, she grabbed her brand new quill, and opened her copy of "Numerology and Grammatical", looking for the right page.

Already fully immersed in the equation, Daphne started to read, underline and scribbling numbers on the border of the page.

A stomp on the table made her jump.

"Booh."

"Booh back. Blimey Pansy, Malfoy, I was studying!" the girl snorted to her grinning house fellows.

"Don't try to fool us, Green; we know you better then this." Draco said, taking a seat.

Daphne sighed. He was right, she was not exactly the study type, even though her marks were remarkable and she excelled in Potions. But her marks had recently been not that brilliant, and as she loved showing off about how good she was, she actually _needed_ some time on books.

"Besides, Davies was looking for you" Pansy added with a cackle. "He already heard about the accident."

"Huh?" the long haired girl was genuinely clueless. "Accident?"

"Hufflepuff golden boy on top of Miss Greengrass, must have been quite a sight." Draco went on, while grabbing the butterbeer bottle handed by Pansy and taking a sip.

"Diggory! So that's Bloody Hufflepuff!" Blaise had apparently come back to life, and had stolen another chair from a couple of first-years. Blaise and Daphne loved bothering first-years.

"I actually paid no attention to who knocked me out. All I know is that he was wearing that disgusting yellow and black tie…" she said, sighing. What a pain in the ass.

"Yes, actually that tie is a crime against fashion." confirmed Blaise.

"Diggory is shaggable no matter his tie" Millicent Bullstrode came out of nowhere, followed by Draco's guardian angels.

Daphne, who had stolen Draco's butterbeer bottle and was now drinking from it, burst into laughter.

"Diggory? Cedric Diggory?" she asked, choking, and earning a disgusted look from the Prince. "So Cedric Diggory is the aforementioned idiot?"

"You were the one on the crime scene, Green, not us." Draco grabbed Crabbe by the arm and cleaned the top of the butterbeer bottle with the boy's jacket.

"Cedric Diggory…isn't he supposed to move like a dragonfly and all?" she thought, trying to remember the face of the guy on the floor.

"He's a Quidditch player, Daphne, not a ballerina." Blaise was staring intently at his nails.

"Whatever. He's pathetic." She commented, eyes back on her book.

"He's shaggable." Millicent corrected her.

"He's pathetic. Snape was great, deducting 10 points from Hufflepuff for trying to kill me, haha." Severus Snape was her favorite teacher of all times.

Blaise and Draco lifted their half-empty bottles and stated solemnly "To Snape" before sipping again.

Daphne tried to focus again on the book, but the equation looked like a great, meaningless stain on her book to her. She needed her notes, she decided.

Crabbe and Goyle disappeared in the dorms, Pansy, who had lost her interest in the conversation, was flipping through the pages of a magazine with Millicent, Draco was lost in thought and the only one left was Blaise, still staring at his nails.

"Blaise, pass me my Arithmancy notes. They're somewhere here on the table" she said, eyes still fixed on the numbers.

The boy moved a few parchments and then shook his head. "Nope"

Daphne froze. "What does 'nope' mean"

"That there's nothing, Day" he explained.

"To hell with this Day thing, I said where's my Arithmancy parchment"

"How would I know?"

"Blimey" she muttered, looking between the parchments on the table.

A second year boy came in running.

"Roger Davies is waiting out of the dungeons for you" he said to Daphne, quite scared. The girl was well known for being temperamental. And for jinxes. And hexes. And unpleasant curses.

She interrupted her frantic quest for the parchment and smiled a warm, fake smile that made the little boy shiver. "Tell him to get lost."

"But he'll kill me!" the boy protested, turning pale.

"The best die young" she commented, not really caring about the boy, whose face fell.

"But…"

Daphne stopped. She looked at him and moved her hand towards her wand.

"I said go."

"Yessmiss" and the 12-years old disappeared into the bare stone wall entrance of the common room.

"You'll make a wonderful wife and mother. Loving and caring." Draco snorted, and Pansy turned her head quickly to see what kind of…anything could lead Draco Malfoy to say the words 'wife' and 'mother'.

"Whatever" she replied.

The Greengrass girl unrolled her sleeves and wore her tie around her neck, completely untied.

"Dammit. I'll have to look for them. Come with me?" she asked, to no one in particular.

No reply came. Of course...Slytherins. Selfish asses. She wouldn't have replied, either.

She sighed and headed to the dungeons' exit.

"Day" Blaise called her.

"Moron" she replied, using his same tone.

"C'm here. I'll have your tie fixed. I can't stand Slytherins who don't take care of their look."

"Whatever."

"Whatever is your word. You abuse it." The boy tied the green and silver fabric and smiled satisfied, that cold, self-complacent smile only Slytherins can flash. "Perfect. You should do something about your anemia, though."

"If I ate your heart, would it fix my anemia?" she questioned him opening the entrance.

He raised his middle finger back at her.

A/N: I suppose that most Slytherin are anemic, or haemophiliac, or something………that pure-blood thing is not that good, after all.

And I love this Slytherin behaviour. Haha. Review! 3


	3. Chapter 3

Yeee!!! So glad that you're liking it!

I took a break cos I read…yes, I did read the Deathly Hallows. Well. Woah. That sure was a shocker. I would have dear Mrs Rowling tied and tortured, but hey, it's not up to me. I would, though.

Now, before you read the chapter, I would like to thank:

I am the forgettable one : no i didn't notice, no i didn't notice

Noc007 : slytherins are fun.

elenamindollin : might seem absurd, but i am portraying Daphne like…well, i actually talk and act like she does. He he. I am temperamental and mean but likeable then 3

now! On with the chapter! And let me know what you think!

3. THE QUEST

Cedric Diggory was not a coward.

Sure, he was not Gryffindor-brave; he surely did not throw himself mindlessly at every chance of deathly threat.

He was cautious and patient, he liked better considering pro and con of the situation, in pure Hufflepuff style.

He was rational, not a coward.

His rationality didn't seem to agree with him to go any further than he was now, though; the dark, nude stone of the castle's dungeon was…creepy.

Fine, fine, the Hufflepuff common room was in the dungeon, too, but he would have never stressed enough that the room was more similar to a cellar than to a dungeon, and you reached it by going down the same staircase that leads to the kitchens, which is a positive thing if you're hungry.

No green light, no low ceiling, no cold, dark stone all around Hufflepuff's common room.

And let's say it, he did not like Slytherins that much, and surely Slytherins did not appreciate him. He was hopping mindlessly right into the evil wolf's nest. No. Evil snake, not wolf.

He had been there for a few minutes now, and he couldn't bring himself to move closer to the entrance of the Slytherin common room. Not that he could have entered it, of course, but still, he supposed that his presence there, back against the wall and half hidden behind a twist of the corridor would be judged rather suspicious by any person in their right mind.

He looked at what he held in his hand, firmly, squeezing it a bit too tight (she was so going to behead him for the way he had treated it): Arithmancy notes, belonging to a certain Slytherin girl who, honestly, puzzled him.

And then…yes!!! Cedric's face lit up. The entrance was opening! Wait. Oh. No Daphne or whatever the name was. Greengrass. Right.

Well, better. A first year kid. Cedric de-glued himself from the wall, and approached the boy.

"Ehm, hey, excuse me…" he started, uncertain of what to do now. 'Hell Ced, he's a kid! Do behave!' The younger boy stared at him, half frightened. Why was a Hufflepuff talking to him? And more important, why in the world was he in the Slytherin's dungeons?!

The boy kept on staring, and Cedric sighed, understanding that he wouldn't have gotten a reply, if the question was not explicit.

"Is Daphne Greengrass in the common room?"

The boy went pale. "D…Daphne Greengrass?" he stuttered "Why are you looking for D-Daphne G-Greengrass?"

The Hufflepuff hadn't expected such reaction from a member of her same house. "I have something hers I want to return her. Is she here or not?"

The younger boy shook his head. "No she's not. She went out a few minutes ago. She seemed pretty annoyed, so I wouldn't…I mean…if it's not urgent, just forget it"

Cedric smirked. Maybe she really _was_ evil.

He nodded to the boy, and made his way out of the dungeon.

Daphne Greengrass. Where could she be?

Cedric thought for a couple of seconds. Of course. The Great Hall! She probably was looking for him, too.

He sped up; probably if he was fast enough he would catch her.

A few minutes later, a tall boy in black and yellow tie and scarf pushed the doors of the common room open.

He stood at the very entrance, stared at the tables for a few seconds each, as if in search of something-but it might as well have been someone.

Diggory sighed. Really. Today was not his day.

He blocked a Slytherin girl, and (totally oblivious of the dreamy-state she was in as soon as she had found his face right before hers) asked her about the damned Greengrass girl.

Ooooh lord. The library?! Did the girl want him dead?!

With another sigh, he went back on his steps once again and headed reluctantly to the library.

Cedric Diggory was immensely patient.

This did not keep him from muttering a few curses, while going through all the corridors and stairs that led to the fourth floor, where the library was.

Why the hell people could not apparate in Hogwarts?! Well, he couldn't have apparated, either. Bah.

After the 433rd step (oh yes, he had counted them) he was in front of the library door.

He swallowed hard; Madame Pince sort of scared him.

'Well, Ced' he thought 'this must be done'.

He entered the library.

Blimey.

The thought of how _huge_ the library was did not occur to him before he had entered it. Finding Daphne was practically impossible, on his own.

Again, the only thing he could do was ask.

He carefully approached Madame Pince, and clearing his throat he smiled politely at her.

"Excuse me, Madame" he began.

Madame Pince snorted. "Why can't you brats…I mean, students understand that Madame is a French word, it's not ma-aaam, it is softer, like, ma-dame…"

Cedric nodded and went on, refusing to take French lessons from the woman. "I was wondering…did you see Daphne Greengrass here, by any chance?"

The woman's expression hardened even more.

"I believe you think I am at your disposal for things such as 'where's who', you're completely, totally, utterly wrong, Mister…" and she stared at him, eyes squeezed, trying to recall the boy's name.

"Diggory. Cedric Diggory."

She nodded and looked at the ceiling. "…yes, Mr Diggory. I am here only to prevent young punks like you and your friends to…jinx my precious books, because you know, books are…wait. Did you say Diggory?" Madame Pince was now staring again at him.

"Yes, mada…miss."

"Oh well! Then yes, a girl came here looking for you. Some Slytherin girl. Not here anymore, she was until 5 minutes ago."

Inner Cedric lost his will to look for her. "And…?" endurance and patience were the gifts of the Hufflepuff.

"No, Mr Diggory, I have no idea where she can be now. Probably the owlery. And now, if you may leave me alone, I have other students to take care of, students who are interested in _books_, not in _girls_."

The boy took a quick look around. It was just the two of them. He thanked her and headed to the West Tower.

He surely did not know what he was thinking when he went all the way up the West Tower.

Like, did he _really_ expect to find her somewhere in the tower?!

Yes, sure, sending owls to look for him, sure.

And now he was descending the tower and 4 floors to go back to the dungeon, in the Hufflepuff common room.

He had wasted a whole afternoon looking for her, and it had been completely useless. Great, just great.

He was in no mood for Potions homeworks, now, and surely not for Arithmancy.

He sighed. Fine, he would do it anyway. Blessed the patience of the Hufflepuff.

The boy finally reached the dungeon, and was about to say the password to open the door, when he noticed a figure in skirt, leaning on the wall.

"I have been looking the whole afternoon for you, Diggory."

­­

So?? So??? Waiting for your comments!


	4. Chapter 4

Hmmm I hope you'll like this chapter I had fun while writing it!

And thanks to elenamindollin and ArtsieGirlie!

4. RECOUP

Daphne had wasted the whole afternoon looking for that…that…for that Hufflepuff.

She had looked for him in the _entire_ castle.

The Great Hall, the library, the Huffle-thing common room… well, it was not the entire castle, but sure as hell she had wasted her time because of _him_, and it was in her Slytherin nature to be looking for some kind of compensation.

Of course her notes were not enough.

She thought that looking for him in the _entire_ castle would have been rather useless. And therefore, with the ability to economize that was her pride, she had just sat in front of the Huffle-stuff common room. The blasted boy just _had to_ go back there anytime soon.

And finally, there he was.

"I have been looking the whole afternoon for you, Diggory."

In the dim light of the dungeon she could not see his face properly.

"I have been looking the whole afternoon for you too, **Daphne**." He replied, calmly, stressing particularly the use of her name.

He smiled.

"I think I should apologize once again for making you fall today, and I hope that the fact that I've been like, _anywhere_ in this castle proves that I _do_ feel sorry for…well, whatever I did. There you go, here are your notes" and he handed the girl her parchments.

She quickly grabbed them and smirked.

Cedric was staring at her, as if waiting for her to do something.

"What?" she seemed quite irritated.

Right. Right. 'Stupid Cedric expecting her to say thanks, thank you or something along the lines' he thought shaking his head.

"Nothing. Now, Daphne, I have homeworks to do. So, I guess I'll see you around. Bye." He waved and was about to whisper the password, when she spoke.

"Oh, no, no, no, Diggory." Her voice was…arrogant, to say the least. The girl moved and was now standing between Cedric and the Hufflepuff common room's entry.

"Excuse me?" the young man was really astonished. What did _that_ mean?!

"You're _so_ not going to leave like this."

"What am I supposed to do, then" questioning the presumptuous Slytherin seemed to do no good, Cedric thought.

"Recoup."

The boy's eyes went wide. "What?!? Listen Daphne, I did a _favour_ to you looking the whole afternoon for you, I could have just waited till you came here and…no, better, I could have left more or less intentionally these notes of yours in the Great Hall, and…"

"Why didn't you?" she interrupted him, hands on her hips, in the most arrogant demeanour he had ever seen on a girl.

Cedric was astonished. "E...E…excuse me?"

The girl fumed in impatience, and flipped her dark hair back. "I said. Why didn't you? I surely did not ask you to look for me."

Now, Cedric was a patient guy. He had proven it in more than one occasion. But…but… really, moving and slapping this girl wouldn't have felt so wrong. She was so…unbearable.

"You just can't bring yourself to say thank you, can you, Daphne?" he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks are for the losers. Besides, you interrupted me while I was talking about the way you'll recoup me." The girl was taking a look at her notes.

"No, Daphne. No way I'll do…anything you ask me to. I have my homeworks, and I need to be finished with them before training." Diggory shook his head, already feeling that his words would go totally unheard.

"Your problem, not mine." 'Exactly.' He thought rather disconsolate. "There you go, Huffle-stuff." She handed him her notes. "I believe you still have your Arithmancy books of the third year. Well, chapter 6 and 7, the excercices. I already know the topic, it's just that excercices annoy me, and I was not this annoyed before you made me fall. I want them at breakfast. You know where the Slytherin table is." She said, patting his shoulder while passing him.

"Daphne!" he almost cried in frustration. She wanted him to do _her_ homeworks?!

"And I want them to be perfect, Diggory, as if I had them done." She turned and smiled sweetly at him. "Or else…"


	5. Chapter 5

And here we go with another chapter…I thought you didn't like chapter 4 at first oO

Well, thanks to elenamindollin, your comments, well, reviews are…like chocolate.

ArtsieGirlie, haha, Cedric slapping someone? Hmmm…

Luuuda, oh yesss, i think that in most of our minds Cedric Robert Pattinson, so yeah, he is a cutie.

Mrs. Jim Halpert…where it goes? Where? Where? Please someone let me know --

Now enough with my crappy humour. Let's have breakfassst!

5. SNAKES FOR BREAKFAST

Yawning, Cedric Diggory made his way through the Great Hall.

He had had like…4 hours of sleep, more or less. No, definitely less.

The boy stopped in the middle of the Hall, hating every second of it. Every time he indulged in the Hall, he felt the burning eyes of dozens of girls on him. Eeww. He _so_ didn't want to show off or anything.

Earnie and the others were making signs for him to join them, but he merely nodded in acknowledgement and headed to the Slytherin table, leaving looks of pure dismay on their faces.

Daphne was sitting besides Malfoy, who had his head on the table, as if he couldn't manage to wake up.

Malfoy stood up and told her something, she replied and they laughed, and then he left. In the moment his and Malfoy's eyes made contact, the younger boy's lips turned into a smirk, and as he passed him the Slytherin made sure to hit him on the shoulder.

A few girls chuckled, and as he looked at them blushed and began chatting giving him a look every now and then.

Cedric sighed. Slytherins.

He looked at the Greengrass girl. Her skin was tanned, which was unusual for a Slytherin. She had her hair tied up into a high ponytail, and the messy neck of her shirt, coming out of the sleeveless cardigan she was wearing, gave her a sort of rebel look. She was reading a parchment with Pansy and Zabini, who were sitting at her left. He would have said she was pretty to look at, agreeing with his pals, but no, thank you, she was too Slytherin. Slytherin enough to be creepy.

In that very moment she turned her head, and caught the boy literally staring. "Oh, goodmorning Diggory." She said smiling.

Yeah, smiling. Too bad that Cedric knew (or rather, felt) that smile was as fake as…as…well, it was oh so fake.

He smiled back. "Daphne." he handed her the scrolls. "There you go. And they're _perfect_" he said.

The girl took a quick look at the scrolls and nodded. "Awesome. Sit and have breakfast, Diggory." It was incredible the way in which she made everything she said feel like an order.

"No, thank you, I think I'll join my…"

"I never said you could refuse. Sit." She ordered, pointing at the now empty place at her right.

He rolled his eyes and sat.

Zacharias Smith and Earnie MacMillan's jaws dropped, as they observed him from the Hufflepuff table. He gave them a begging look, but they just didn't seem to notice.

The girl put the parchments into her bag, and flipping her ponytail back she looked at him.

"Nervous, Huffle-stuff? I just asked you to have breakfast."

"More like ordered, Day." Zabini commented, and Pansy chuckled.

Cedric couldn't suppress a small laugh.

"What?" the evil glare of the girl, and it was _really_ evil, did not stop him.

"Day?" Cedric asked, amused.

The girl grabbed him by his tie and pulling him close enough so that his nose was almost touching hers. "Mention about demented-Zabini's ugly nickname for me to any living or non-living creature and I swear I'll have you beheaded…and your corpse will feed the creatures of the Forest, Diggory. No kidding." Her voice was cold and venomous, and the closeness only made it worse.

Shock was all over the older boy's face. Temperamental. Moody. Violent. This girl was…terrifying.

She relaxed, smiled and fixed his necktie. "Good boy. Would you mind passing me the toasts, please?"

Cedric, blushing for both the lack of breathing and the vicinity to the girl passed her the toasted bread without replying.

"How was training, last night?" she said casually, spalming the butter on the bread.

What? What what what? Daphne Greengrass was trying to have a civil conversation with him?!

"Well, it was tiring, as usual. There was a strong wind, which made flying difficult." He said, cautious.

"I see. Who are you having your first match with? Slytherin will be against Gryffindor. But I don't think that Flint is" and here she bit her toast "enough to stop Baston."

"Definitely. Honestly I always thought that the way you Slytherins play is rather…" he stopped.

The whole Slytherin table was looking at him, and he really didn't feel like being beheaded and all that followed because of his comments on their Quidditch team.

"I agree with you, Diggory." Daphne said, and he felt relieved. "Here, try this" she said, handing him a sort of crepe.

Cedric had not touched food yet. His stomach was growling in protest.

"I actually tried for the Quidditch team in first and second year, but Flint wouldn't let me in. he said Quidditch is men's business. And to me he can rot in hell." She was drinking orange juice, while he had finally begun to eat his crepe.

"You mean he did not let you in?" he asked, rather interested. Icy Greengrass was into Quidditch? Woah.

"I mean he did not even let me try."

"That's unfair." He commented, feeling really sorry.

"That's life."

He still couldn't believe he was actually talking to her. Talking, no apologizing, or almost-fighting, or being about to get hexed by the girl.

The Great Hall was almost deserted now, and even Blaise and Pansy had gone.

The girl snapped her fingers, grabbed her bag and stood up.

"Off to Arithmancy now." She said.

Oh right, he had class, too.

"We'll see if the assignments are really as perfect as you claim them to be, Diggory."

"I actually have a name, too, _**Daphne**_."

"Whatever, Diggory. I'll know where to find you if something's wrong with my assignments." She walked out of the hall.

"Diggory. Whatever. Sure. And yes, the homeworks _are_ perfect, _Daphne_." He murmured before standing up and heading to Herbology.


	6. Chapter 6

Yay for wi-fi connections on the beach!

So I'm both updating & writing new chapters gotta love me!

So, thanks to:

Mrs. Jim Halpert

elenamindollin

Illicit Memory (thanks for adding me like, EVERYWHERE)

And now…chapter 6!

6. LABURNUM PRANKS

Outrageous.

It was simply outrageous.

For the first time in 3 years, Daphne Greengrass had gotten an A.

A as "Acceptable".

And in her mind, there was just an acceptable consequence, just an acceptable thing she could do to clean her dirtied honour from this unacceptable stain: wash it with the blood of the guilty, awful, troll, traitor, dead-man-walking Huffle-stuff.

Hitting on the shoulders a few random black and yellow first years (these colours made her even more…enraged), she went back to the moment in which the teacher gave her back the parchment.

"_I hope you know it counts as a Troll, for you, Miss Greengrass. I am very, very disappointed."_

When the girl had turned her head and she had noticed that idiotic Mudblood smirking satisfied when Professor Vector gave her the paper, her usual O.

O.

O as Outrageous, as Obnoxious, as Oughta-know-I'm-going-to-kill-you. That Granger girl had then looked at her, and that was more than Daphne could take. She was an extremely proud person, and that…that…oh.

Heading to Potions, in her familiar dungeon, Daphne seemed to feel better. But it was only because Draco and the others would be there, and she was totally sure that Miss Mudblood Granger would have gone out of the classroom in tears.

Annoying.

Pansy and Blaise had kept a place for her, in which she sat more than willingly.

First of all, she needed to sit; she was pretty tired for running all the way from the Arithmancy classroom to there.

Second, it gave her a quite pleasant (actually unpleasant, but surely very opportune) view of a certain Gryffindor table.

Potty, Weasel and the Mudblood were chuckling like a bunch of little girls. Eeww. Disgusting.

Quickly, she told her house mates what had happened in Arithmancy class, and soon, four smirking Slytherins were staring with insistence at the Gryffindor table right in front of theirs.

Draco surely was delighted. Not that he needed a reason to bother that insanely sickening Mudblood Granger, she was a Mudblood, all the evil towards her was more than justified, but having a reason made him feel…great.

"Day" Zabini proclaimed "let's give her the worse Potions hour of her whole Hogwarts career."

"Zab" Daphne proclaimed, earning a face from Blaise "let's give her hell."

Oh yes. It was their territory. Professor Snape was surely not going to scold them, and might have even taken points from Gryffindor.

Yes, 15 points less for being little wusses would be good enough.

Daphne was too lazy to pull pranks. She trusted the refined taste of Mr Malfoy and friends, and helped if necessary, but never made pranks of her own. Teasing and torturing first-years was not included in "pranks", of course.

Snape entered, and in a few minutes they were all at work.

As she read the ingredients of the potion they had to prepare, some kind of reinvigorating potion, Daphne had _the_ idea.

But Draco, being as good in Potions as she was, had already his eyes fixed on her, his trademark grin turning his delicate features into a mask of evil.

After all, the yellow flowers of Laburnum Alpinum and Laburnum Anagyroides looked perfectly the same when dried. Too bad the side effects of Laburnum Anagyroides in this kind of potion could be…rather devastating. Nose-bleed, if the drinker was lucky, massive nose-bleed, actually.

Hermione was carefully cutting and dissecting the dried bright yellow flowers.

"Hey, Mudblood" Daphne called her. The Gryffindor girl stopped and slowly turned. Daphne Greengrass never talked to her. What could she want?

"Yes, Greengrass?" she asked, as coldly as her voice allowed her.

"Give me your Laburnum, I'm not into cutting at the moment." She said, nonchalantly.

"Don't mid her, Hermione" Ron told her.

Draco stood up and approached the Gryffindors.

"Thank you, Granger" he said mockingly, grabbing the finely cut Laburnum.

"Hey! Give it back!" Hermione almost shouted.

Draco had already dropped the Laburnum in his potion, which was now steaming in yellowish spirals.

"Malfoy" the girl said, voice almost choked.

"Draco!" Daphne said, enraged. "I was only kidding!"

The blonde boy smirked, and feigned indignation.

"Such a bore, Day" he commented, going back to his potion, which needed now extra care.

Daphne grabbed a handful of flowers. "There you go Mudblood, these should be enough" she said, standing up and turning around the table to reach the Gryffindor trio.

"Want me to drop in it?" she asked, looking at the smaller girl, who was shaking her head.

Daphne Greengrass being…nice? That was…weird. Absurd.

Woah.

"Thank you, Daphne." Hermione said.

Daphne smirked. "Oh, no, don't mention it." and she went back to her table, chuckling with Pansy.

She grabbed her Laburnum Alpinum and dropped it in the liquid, mixing it slowly and clockwise.

Snape was just walking slowly, his disgusted face taking quick looks at his students' work.

The professor nodded as he passed Draco and Daphne's table.

In that very moment, a gasp was heard.

Daphne and Draco smirked imperceptibly, and Snape went closer to the source of the gasp.

"Are you trying to poison someone, Miss Granger?" he said, taking a look at the lime-green liquid boiling in her cauldron. On the blackboard and on the text book it clearly said that 'the liquid is supposed to take a bright yellow coloration'.

"I…I…I don't know how it happened…" she muttered, honestly.

Snape came closer and smelled the liquid. "Laburnum Anagyroides, Miss Granger, Laburnum Anagyroides. Not Alpinum. 5 points less for your carelessness, Miss Granger."

"NO!" Harry and Ron screamed, as Hermione turned a bright red, and her eyes became teary.

"Potter, Weasley, mind your cauldrons." The teacher didn't even look at the two friends.

"It was Greengrass, Sir! She gave Hermione the Laburnum Anagyroides instead of the Alpinum, because Malfoy had…" Ron tried to explain frantically.

"5 points less for talking when not asked, Weasley."

"But it's true!" Harry protested.

"If it's true, Mister Potter, I will take other 5 points from Gryffindor, for carelessness when adding the ingredients that could lead to dangerous situations for the whole classroom."

"But…"

"5 points less, Potter"

Draco was chuckling, and both boys shot a deadly look at him and at the tall girl.

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Greengrass, be more careful when helping others." Snape added, before he left.

Daphne felt definitely better now. Definitely much better.

But there was still something she had to do.

Finding the Huffle-stuff.

Diggory, Cedric Diggory, he was going to pay. She wanted to see his pretty face with eyes wide in fear, oh yes she did.

Daphne was chewing distractedly on her food, sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, with Blaise and Flint. Not the best company possible, but still.

"Hei, Ced!"

She immediately lifted her eyes from the parchment. Cedric Diggory. Good.

Blaise looked at her, while Daphne stood up.

Slowly, she made her way to the Hufflepuff table.

She saw Zacharias Smith and Ernie MacMillan gasping.

"Cedric Diggory" she said, sweetly.

So?

First of all, Laburnum DOES exist

Second…leave me a review? Uh? Please? Graaazie! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter, so let me know what you think, good or bad


	7. Chapter 7

Here's another chapter!

And let's go with my usual thank-yous:

elenamindollin: laburnum…aka goldenchain tree, you know it? well, I actually happen to know A LOT about it, since I ate its seeds when I was like, 3 or 4…not a nice experience, at all! Hm, basically the difference between them is a visual one (http://en. but the alpinum one is said to be more toxic then the other one. Or so they say enjoy the chapter!

Mrs. Jim Halpert: well, just because she's mean, moody, treacherous, annoying and bossy and temperamental and…well, just because she's like this, it's not like you're supposed not to like her

And thanks for adding to InvisibleA, LadyClaire87, SupernaturalLove, Arrin!!

Now, on with the chapter…let me know what you think!

7. NO HARD FEELINGS

"Daphne! How are you?"

"Acceptable Diggory. Acceptable."

Cedric seemed to understand. He was smart, after all. And he sort of suspected that something was wrong with Arithmancy…He opened his mouth, but did not speak immediately.

"Well, it's not my fault; you could have asked me about my preparation in Arithmancy. Never had top grades, ever."

Daphne had a mixture of shock and rage painted all over her face, sharpening her usually soft features. "And when exactly was I supposed to find out?!?" she screamed.

The boy thought about something along the lines of 'you didn't ask', but seeing the Slytherin girl with her 9 inches yew wand aiming at him, he reconsidered, and decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Shall I turn you into a snail, Diggory?" she asked, grabbing him by the tie (she seemed fond of it, Cedric thought) and pushed him against the stone wall of the Great Hall. He could read the message in her eyes, something sounding like 'you are so dead, Hufflestuff'. "Heard you're pretty good at Transfiguration, so I suppose you'd enjoy being Transfigurated…plus, a snail would suit you, their nervous system is not as advanced as the human's, which would be good for you, if I beat you up the way I intend to."

He swallowed, refusing to think about the sadistic ways in which a Slytherin could hurt you. "Come on Daphne, don't be like this, I'm sorry, really, I really am." he said, earnestly. Cedric was not so sure, though, that sincerity would be enough to convince her to simply put her wand away and settling it with a 'still friends, no hard feelings, and no damage done'…also because they were not that, hum, friendly, before…

"No, Hufflestuff; now you're not sorry _enough_" she hissed, her eyes hard and cold.

"Greengrass! Stop it!" a voice shouted.

Daphne turned lazily to stare at the Chang girl, not really interested.

"Oh Chang, stop it, or else?" she commented, amused, when the other girl looked away, not standing her fixed glare.

Cho clenched her fists; how much she hated the arrogance of those Slytherins…and that Greengrass…she really had a hard time standing her. How could Roger be with her?! Oh, looks, sure.

"Or else, we'll go call a teacher, Greengrass. And no, it won't be Snape." Hannah Abbot added.

Daphne smirked. "Do as you please, like I care" The Ravenclaw smart ass girl could not even stand her glare. And all that Hufflepuff could think of was 'I'll call a teacher'. Oh, brave, indeed.

She looked back at Cedric. He was nice to look at. Nicer than Chang and Abbot, at least.

Bah, it was pointless.

He was not even funny to provoke.

She was there, a wand at his neck, and he sure as hell knew that she was _so_ going to use it, that she wouldn't keep back or anything…after all, she never had before.

But he?

All he could do was staying perfectly still, standing right in front of her, and not moving his grey eyes away for a millisecond, as if he knew something that she was still missing.

Daphne had never seen grey eyes before. She found them interesting; therefore she focused deliberately on them. The pupil was like a black dot in the middle of a poll of…no, it was not grey. Gray is way grayer.

That was a weird shade of blue. Yes, exactly, that was not light blue, that was not sky blue, it was a greyish shade of blue, but it was so not gray. Sea blue, like, the dark blue color the sea has when the sky is clouded and the water surface looks cold and leaden. Athena, the goddess of the Greek mythology, had "sea-gray" eyes, the girl thought. She had read a lot about Greek and Roman myths, because of her name, and her mother's fixation.

Wait.

That was _off topic_, she noticed.

She was mentally blabbering nonsense about his eyes color in her head. Again, pointless. God, was she bored.

The Slytherin wondered if the boy who was staring back at her as if nothing was happening could have ever guessed what was on her mind.

…Draco could have, he was good at Legilmency.

Whatever.

Cedric was still staring back. Sometimes he wondered if Slytherins were genuinely arrogant by default, or if it was just striking a pose.

Hm, Daphne Greengrass seemed really the 'I'm arrogant and moody and I'm better than you' type…again, he thought that slapping her would have been a rather normal reaction. But Cedric Diggory would never, never _ever_ hurt a girl.

For a few seconds, he noticed that Daphne seemed lost in her thoughts.

He grabbed his wand, and was about to move hers away…

"Diggory! Greengrass!!" professor McGonagall screamed, running down the corridor, followed by Cho and Hannah "10 points less to both Slytherin and Hufflepuff! Oh, Merlin, what did you think you were doing?! A duel?! For Merlin's beard Diggory, you're also older _and _wiser than Miss Greengrass!"

Daphne petrified with a glare the two girls, promising a silent revenge.

"Wands away! Now!" the teacher commanded, and the two obeyed, not so willingly.

"You two are in detention, AND" McGonagall said, shutting the Hufflepuff boy "and I'll have a not so quick word with professors Snape and Sprout, boys. I am really disappointed."

"But!" Cedric seemed not to agree with the old lady, while Daphne was just silent and still.

"NO BUTS! You two will have 2 parchment scrolls written on the importance of the respect between the four Houses, and professor Binns will correct it, and yes, Miss Greengrass, the mark will count!"

Now, now, Daphne was disappointed. Quietly, as if she was talking about the weather, she smiled politely and spoke.

"But Madam, I do respect the Hufflepuff house" she glared for a moment at Cedric, who had audibly snorted at the girl's statement "it's Cedric Diggory I do not respect"

McGonagall sighed. "Mr Diggory, Miss Greengrass, I hope I made myself clear. Now, do behave the both of you. And Madame Pince will see you in the library at 6, for your detention. No delays will be tolerated."

Cedric noticed that Daphne was looking at him.

"You're a bore, Diggory" she stated.

Haha, well? Oh no, if someone expects Daphne and Cedric to fall in love and kiss like there's no tomorrow during detention, that's so very wrong…and unlikely, I would add.

Tell me what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

8. HUGS AND SUMMER

Daphne had put her wand back in her pocket, and was rapidly walking away.

"Huh?" Cedric was honestly not listening,

"She said you're a bore, Ced" Zacharias Smith informed him.

Zacharias Smith?

Cedric had totally forgotten that they were in the Great Hall, surrounded by people. Sweet, he had made a fool of himself… threatened by that…that…that _snake_ of a Slytherin girl! In front of everyone!

Cedric Diggory was patient, not stupid.

He gave a quick look around, as if he had just woken up. How much time had passed?

"Is everything alright, Cedric?" Cho asked him "you seem a little spaced out. Are you sure you are fine?"

Cho.

Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker, one of the cutest girls in the whole school, had talked to him. He thought he should have blushed or something…blimey, wasn't she cute.

But the Hufflepuff did not blush.

Not really knowing what he was doing, and not even replying to the girl, who was calling him and asking him what was wrong, and not knowing where he was going nor why, he grabbed his bag and ran out of the Great Hall, into the corridor.

He stopped right out of the huge door, and looked frantically both right and left.

Maybe he was still in time to find _her_.

Cedric shook his head.

What was he thinking?! What the hell was…

A glimpse of a long dark ponytail and the elegant Slytherin-trademark posture made him forget what he was about to think.

And next thinghe knew, he was already running down the corridor leading to the Dungeon, shouthing something like "Daphneee", he wasn't really sure of that, hitting random people, and hitting them hard.

He was almost sure that he heard Argus Filch and professor McGonagall shouting at him not to run in the corridors, yes, sure, as if that would have stopped him.

For Merlin, it was really her.

Bloody hell, she had company.

Draco Malfoy, in all his glorious arrogant blonditude, was chatting with the girl, who was smiling a nice smile that Cedric had never seen on her before. He froze on his steps. For a moment he felt like hitting the younger Slytherin boy, for no reason in particular, but he soon pushed the irrational and immotivated thought away, and approached the girl.

Daphne had perfectly heard that the Huffle-stuff was calling her; she had seen him when he had stopped a few steps behind them. And now that he was as close as Draco was, she was definitely deliberately ignoring him.

Cedric sighed, she was clearly pretending. Blimey, wasn't she annoying. Fine.

In a second he was in front of her, separating her from Malfoy, and he put his hands on her shoulders. He was standing tall, blocking the way, and he noticed that she was not that shorter, maybe just a few centimetres…not that much.

"Diggory" Draco had put on a challenging glare, but he ignored him.

"Daphne" he said, focusing on her. He was abusing her name, she thought. He always called her 'Daphne'. Boring, Diggory, boring boring boring.

"What now" she spat out visibly bothered.

"Listen Daphne. Can I talk to you _civilly_ for a moment?" and he added a meaningful look at the Malfoy boy, who was standing way too close to them, in a hostile pose.

She made a nod to her friend, who reclutantly went away.

The girl grabbed Cedric's hands, still on her shoulders, as if touching something particularly rivolting.

"Hands off, Diggory" she snorted, and he sighed.

"Oh, come on, don't be like this! All I wanted to say is that I'm sorry, so very sorry, for both the Arithmancy and the detention thing, and look, I don't even know why I'm apologizing and feeling sorry, cos if you look at it it's not really my fault, but still, no, don't make that face" he said, frantically, not breathing "and well, I am willing to do anything in my power to make up." That said, he took a big breath, and waited. He did not even know why he was making all these efforts to get on with that girl…probably it was only because he did not like having declared hostilities with someone. He was a friendly person, no reason to dislike him.

The Diggory boy studied the smaller girl's reaction. Having to do with this girl was like…making weather forecast. Even knowing the general principles of how she worked, one could never foresee her changes. And he was no meteorologist.

All of a sudden, her face lit up. Daphne's eyes were almost shining, and her cheeks were rosy, giving her usual hard expression a sort of softness that made her less Slytherin and more…

"Oh Diggory!" she exclaimed happily "Anything? Are you sure? Are you serious?"

Taken aback, but not even a tiny bit daunted, he nodded. And then the unbelievable happened.

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, holding him tight.

Cedric felt summer. Summer was all that came to his mind. A summer day, hot and dry, on the shores of the Mediterranean, somewhere in Italy, with a light breeze…

Unsure, he hugged back. She was thin and frail, maybe too much. Could someone be so thin without being ill or something?

He felt envious stares on him.

Roger Davies had let his books fall, and was looking at them with a murderous glare in his eyes…hey, wasn't she Davies' girlfriend?! Naaah… and moreover, he did not care.

"Yes Daphne, I'd do everything" he said softly. He remembered he once had a serious girlfriend, and that he spoke to her in that way, softly.

She loosened the embrace, and looked him deep in the eyes.

Her eyes were cold. No more sparkles.

"Then leave me alone, and don't bother me ever again." She stated, and went away.

Cedric was sure that winter nights could not be so cold.


	9. Chapter 9

CIAO! Thank you to elenamindollin for reviewing and to Ruatha's girl for adding!

Enjoy the chapter

9. TEACHING LESSONS

Daphne hadn't showed up at detention; Madame Pince had explained to the rather depressed looking boy that Daphne had spoken to Professor McGonagall asking her to change her detention time, and had already fulfilled her task.

Cedric had then sighed, and Madame Pince had thought that there was nothing more annoying than crushes between students. Well, actually students roaming around the library, touching the precious books with their filthy, uninterested hands, was much, much worse. But still. Sighing boys wasting their time thinking about girls who didn't show any interest in them, and vice versa, hm, she found that actually revolting.

The boy sat in the darkest corner available within the first tables, as Mme Pince had imposed him not to go too far from her. So now there he was, alone with the old witch, in that deserted place, which smelled of dust and of old paper and parchment, trying to write an essay about the importance of cooperation and respect between the Four Houses. Useless to say, his mind was empty, concerning the essay; yet, it was full of billions of other thoughts, which literally forbade him to focus on the topic.

_The cooperation and the respect between the Houses is important because respect and cooperation are important, and it's important that the Houses respect each other because of the importance of cooperation in the magical world…_

He read the sentence. Now, that was pathetic. Did he really write that on his own?!

Cedric, gaze lost outside the huge windows of the library, stared at the heavy drops falling from the sky, treading on the grass. It was already almost dark. He thought that that was probably the very last summer storm of the year, if not the first autumn one.

Not that he cared.

He had written almost three quarters of parchment, or rather had it filled with clichés and deletions, when Professor McGonagall entered, and after nodding in greeting to Mme Pince, she headed to where the boy was sitting.

"Enough, Diggory. You may go." She stated dryly, and moved to make her way to the entry. Suddenly she stopped. The Hufflepuff prefect had already begun to gather his things and had stood up, but froze when he felt the eyes of the old teacher on him. Professor McGonagall was genuinely worried for one of her most brilliant students; she did not want this newborn depressive state to influence his Transfiguration skills and commitment.

"Cedric, I was wondering… Of course we know that Miss Greengrass is not the most timid and docile girl of the school, but still, I've never seen her putting such effort in disliking someone. I honestly have no clue, but Diggory, if you happen to know what is it that you did to make her so mad at you, you'd better settle things with her, dear." She paused, and then asked, totally out of curiosity "What did you do to her?"

Cedric sighed, and passed a hand through the mess of hazel locks. "If only I knew…"

He really seemed downhearted, the woman thought. She softened considerably, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It will get better, I'm sure. Now, go to the Great Hall, dinner is about to be served."

Macmillan and Hopkins were waiting for him in the Great Hall, and had kept a place for him in the Hufflepuff table.

"Hei, mate" Ernie greeted him. Cedric merely nodded back.

"Aww, first detention of your life shocked you, Golden-boy?" Wayne Hopkins chuckled.

Oh bloody hell. Ooooh bloody, bloody hell. Why didn't he think about it before?! His father. His father was so going to kill him.

Amos Diggory did not tolerate stains on his perfect son's curriculum and reputation. Once again, Cedric sighed. This would just go get added to his already considerable share of thoughts.

"Leave him alone, don't you see he's bothered?" Susan Bones shoved her elbow on Hopkins' ribs, and the boy emitted a suffocated cry of pain.

"Oh Susan, don't be a pain in the neck, we were just trying to cheer him up!" Ernie gave a quick look at his aching friend, who was still gasping for air, and decided that his help was not needed.

Cedric was chewing on his food, not really knowing what he was eating, and not really caring to find out. Chewing endlessly, and playing distractedly with the fork with the food on his dish, he seemed lost in something…staring at something.

Zacharias Smith looked in that same direction. Oh. He grinned.

"I'm afraid that you were wrong, Wayne" he sipped the pumpkin juice in his goblet, in order to make his revelation grow of importance "Cedric is not thinking about his detention…" and he paused again.

"Huh?" Susan looked at him questioningly, and so did the other Hufflepuffs sitting nearby.

Smith didn't speak.

"Oh" Justin Finch-Fletchley stated, following his older friend's look as well.

Hopkins and the others seemed about to lose their patience. "Well? Are you going to tell us?"

Zacharias looked at Cedric, stood up to get closer to him, and then, with a studied malicious voice loud enough to be heard from the others he said in the boy's ear "Miss Greengrass?"

Cedric boggled.

"Got him!" the younger Hufflepuff exulted.

"No way" Susan commented, eyes open wide.

"Yes way, Sue" Justin added.

Cedric was in total, complete, utter embarrassment. Bloody hell, yes, he was thinking about her, so what?!

"Someone has a crush?" Wayne grinned.

"No, it's not a crush" Justin shook his head.

Wayne looked at him. It was as if they had forgotten about Cedric's presence there. "Not a crush? What then? Devotion? Infatuation? Everlasting love?"

"Wounded pride" Hannah Abbot stated.

"Wounded pride" Hopkins repeated.

"Wounded pride calls for revenge!" exclaimed Ernie standing up.

Cedric had the clear feeling that the situation had slipped from his hands. What the hell were they talking about! He was just thinking!

"Guys, enough" he said, in his usual calm and collected voice. But his words went unnoticed.

"Yes! Revenge!" someone exclaimed. Diggory sighed.

"I have a suggestion" Hopkins said. Immediately the table went quiet, and Cedric held his head between his hands, burying his face in them.

"What now" he commented, desperate.

"Daphne Greengrass is...well, you all know. She is mean to everyone, probably the worse Slytherin ever. No, that's Malfoy. Hm. She is bossy" a couple of first years nearby nodded "She takes and leaves every boy she feels like hanging out within a few days. Now it's poor Davies' turn…now. Cedric" he spoke his friend's name solemnly.

"Hm" Cedric replied not willing to find out what Wayne wanted, lifting his eyes to look at the other boy.

"Golden Boy Diggory. Holder of every boy in Hogwart's revenge."

Squinting, Cedric felt his stomach twitch. "Excuse me?" he asked, totally spaced out.

"Let's make a bet. I say" Wayne was now frisking his pockets, and finally placed 10 Galleons on the table "that Cedric Diggory here" and he nodded in direction of said boy "can make the Slytherin Greengrass girl fall for him, and" he cut off Cedric's complaints with a move of his hand "teach her a lesson she won't forget."

Ta-daaaan…well? Like it? hate it? let me know!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10…yu hu! Ehm.

Thank you to

elenamindollin: for both reviewing and adding, haha, you know, you REALLY made me smile! Well, the lack of credit, on my opinion, is due to the fact that there are like 34629365 stories with Cedric and some OC (btw, UPDATE YOUR FIC, I love it) and with Daphne being nothing more than a name on the novel, well, people probably think that it's another one of those "Hello I'm Cedric - hello I'm Mary sue, pretty, cute, sweet, extremely gifted, but modest and capable of mouving everyone's heart, and I'm going to defeat Voldemort – hei, let's make out – sure – oh, Mary Sue, I will love you forever- the end" stories. Hm. The last sentence was too long and I sorta got lost while writing it, but I don't feel like re-reading it, so forgive me for my mistakes XD Daphne is human, she's a Slytherin, she's a mess. And that's the way I'm trying to make her, I want her to be more real and less sue! And Cedric, heh, we can only do so much about him.

Mrs. Jim Halpert: yay! I'm glad you did!

And now, enjoy.

10. MAKING OUT

"Here's my girl!" Roger skipped at the girl in Slytherin colors' side, and tried to pass his arm around her shoulders. They were going out from the Great Hall, where the students just had their dinner. A signifying look from the Slytherin suggested him otherwise, so he put his arm back to place. Students from all Houses were chatting in the large corridor, and a couple of 5th year Ravenclaw boys whistled at their Quidditch team chaser and captain in greeting, clearly envious. He screamed back a 'hey' and inwardly shook his head. They did not know how it was to deal with Miss Daphne Greengrass. Walking side by side, he lowered his head, and tried to make his voice audible only for her. "You know Daphne, for a second I thought that there was something going on between you and Diggory."

Daphne snorted, and combed with her hand the hair of her fringe. "Oh well. Huffle-stuff's cute. But he fucked up my day. Thanks to Golden Boy I got an 'Acceptable' and detention. Plus, he is such a bore. Cute, though."

Roger did not like the answer that much. "Wait wait wait, you mean you considered it?"

The girl grinned. He froze, struck. "You really did" he uttered, in disbelief.

She put on a fake thoughtful face "Actually I had thought about going for him, but you came in the way. He was too much work for me, and you were way easier to get, and besides, he wouldn't have been worth it. And Davies" she said, looking at him in the eyes for the first time since they had begun the conversation "don't pretend to be jealous."

"But Daphne, I _am_ jealous!" he seemed offended by her words.

The Greengrass girl hated this side of him. He tended to get too close to her, in a sentimental way. "Roger, Roger, Roger. Do you remember the little talk we had before I allowed you to go out with me?"

He snorted. "Wish I could forget."

They were walking down the Slytherin dungeon now, and there was no one in sight.

She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Exactly. You're not my boyfriend – I am not your girlfriend. You like me, and I don't particularly dislike you. We occasionally go out together, occasionally make out, and that's almost more than I can stand. Not to mention, as much as you will get."

Roger sighed. His friends had warned him not to go for the Slytherin girl, but hey, when did he ever listen to his friends? And now Casanova Davies was in the same situation that many of his victims had been in; the 'don't expect me to like you more than this, and don't you dare dreaming of anything more from me'-one. The awful fact was that he sort of had a thing for this girl. And hell if she knew how to kiss. But still, she could go to him any day telling him 'hey I got this other guy I want to try'. Bloody hell. He sort of knew her by now, they had been going out since school had started this year, and he knew that Daphne was not as hard as she wanted to look. But the few moments that she had softened had been…

Suddenly he felt lips on his, and hungrily kissed back. To hell with other guys, right now she was playing with him, and even if she dumped him, he would go back to the old Roger Davies all girls loved. Daphne and he were so much alike.

In a few moments, the portion of table occupied by Hopkins, Macmillan, Bones, Abbot and Finch-Fletchley, not to mention a very out-of-this-world Cedric Diggory, was covered in galleons.

"Hold on guys, I have to register the stakes! So" Wayne said, looking in his bag for a spare piece of parchment and a quill "ladies first."

Susan Bones placed 5 galleons in front of him. "5 on Ced making it."

A chorus of "yeees" welcomed her, though someone complained about her not trusting Cedric too much.

Both Hannah Abbot and Ernie Macmillan staked 10 Galleons, giving Cedric for winner.

"Your 10 galleons, Justin" Wayne was focused on writing, and had stretched his right hand to the boy.

Justin grinned. "30 galleons."

Wayne and the others stared, mouth opened. "Stop kidding, Finchy, do your bidding" Hopkins replied.

Cedric shook his head. "Boys" Hannah and Susan disagreed "Guys" he corrected himself "this is the stupidest thing you've ever done. Come on. It was fun till it lasted, now it's over, kay?"

Justin dropped three 10 galleons coins in Wayne Hopkins' hand. "30 galleons on Cedric _losing_" he stated, still grinning.

"Is it your last word, man?" Ernie inquired.

The boy seemed thoughtful. "Hm, actually, on Ced either _losing _or…"

Cedric was feeling dizzy. This was just absurd.

"…or ending up as Greengrass' victim."

Hopkins laughed, and after a moment of silence so did the others. Cedric did not find the whole thing even a tiny bit funny, and not even remotely amusing. "Alright man, as you wish. 30 galleons for Mr Finch-Fletchley!" Wayne declared.

Diggory wished that this was all a nightmare, and that he would soon wake up.

When Daphne pulled apart from the boy, he grinned instantly.

She looked at him feigning surprise. "Oh my god, it's you, I'm sorry, I thought you were Cedric Diggory!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth.

Roger sighed. "Why. Just why. You're heartless."

Daphne nodded, and poked him on the forehead. "Heartless people are better off on their own, Roger. And so am I."

"Fuck you Daphne, really" he spat out, and she slapped him with strenght, her hand making a loud chuck on his cheek.

"Ravenclaws mustn't say bad words, Davies."

"Right, it's a privilege for Slytherin girls." He replied, massaging his sore cheek and leaning on the raw and cold stone wall of the dungeon.

"Precisely." She nodded, and after removing the boy hand from his face, she placed a kiss where a red mark was now visible in the pale green light.

"You do realize that we look like boyfriend and girlfriend, right now" he said, in a cautious voice, moving dark hairs from his eyes. He was enjoying it, but the last time it happened Daphne had gone berserk on him, telling him to back off, threatening to hex him and such. He wondered why he kept on going out with her. His friends told him it was for the fun of conquer, but he knew from the start that nothing more than this could be possible between them. But of course, he did not tell his housemates about this.

"…which means it's time for you to go. Bye Roger. 'night." She turned and left him there, in the dark of the dungeon.

So? Tell me what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

Ciao! Well, uhm, I guess thank you to elenamindollin…and i plan weird things about the win over thing, so nothing ordinary :)

And now, enjoy!

12. FOOD POISONING

Daphne Greengrass hated humidity. She hated it with a passion.

She stared at herself in the mirror, utter disgust painted all over her face. Her hair. Her hair, her god forsaken hair, which was not straight, not curly, but a bland, vapid wavy, was the most disastrous thing she had seen since…since she had broken her leg falling from the broom and there had been the crack of the bone and blood everywhere. Unquestionably.

"Tracey…Pansy…" she whined, hairbrush in her hand. No one replied. She went out of the bathroom, on the verge of crying and her school shirt half unbuttoned and she placed herself right in front of the two girls. "Do something…" she whined again.

"Aww, Miss Greengrass is not so perfect today, is she?" Pansy, who was sitting on her bed filing her nails, chuckled, and Daphne sent her unceremoniously to hell. Tracey Davis grabbed her wand and aimed at the taller girl. "_Depluvia"_ she said.

Daphne ran into the bathroom and screamed a heartfelt 'I love you' to the girl, who replied a careless "Same here, but remember that it lasts about 4 hours, so like, in 3 hours you should charm it again…". Staring at herself and moving locks of her fringe, Daphne was not entirely satisfied. Oh, come on. Ok, it didn't look like a hairstylist work, but at least it was less fizzy than when she had woken up…she tied her hair up in order to limit the damages, and went back into the room she shared with Pansy and Tracey, and murmured a 'thank you' to the girl who had helped. "Depluvia, right?" she asked, and Tracey nodded, turning the pages of what looked like a fashion magazine.

She sat on her bed and buttoned the shirt and the cardigan, and threw her tie around the neck casually. Blaise was the one who usually took care of her tie.

"Come down for breakfast?" Pansy asked her distractedly, staring at her nails.

"Nah, don't feel like eating now, maybe take me something for later." She replied. A weird sensation of nausea didn't seem to abandon her.

"Anorexic" Pansy commented with a sweet smile.

"Slut" was Daphne's lovely reply to the girl.

"Talking about sluts, Daph, we saw you hugging Diggory yesterday…yet we saw you making out wildly with Davies. _A few hours later_." Pansy looked at her friend with malice.

"That's not being a slut, Pans, it's just _making the most out of our youth_" Tracey stated.

Daphne nodded. "You should be used to the sight of me snogging Davies"

"…and Diggory?"

"Ah, Diggory. Funny little story. Diggory. Damn him."

"Come on Daph, come to breakfast and update us." Tracey had grabbed her by the arm, and Daphne, sighing, followed.

Soon after breakfast, Daphne had begun feeling not to well. The sensation of nausea she had felt since the morning had quickly improved from a 'feeling not to well' to a 'feeling totally sick'.

She hated showing to others that she was sick; Lord Dorian Greengrass didn't approve weaknesses, and the family had instilled in her a weird, twisted sense of pride, according to which every small sickness would show signs of weakness. And Daphne Greengrass was NOT weak.

It was just after the second time she fainted, and the third time she had run to the bathroom to vomit, that Millicent and Pansy had her convinced to go to the hospital wing.

Actually, Daphne hadn't really been convinced. She had been brought there, unconscious, in the arms of Theodore Nott, the closest Slytherin male available when she had fainted.

When she had woken up, she was all alone in the great room of the hospital wing, lying on the bed.

She rubbed her eyes, and noticed that she was not really alone.

Theodore was still in the room with her. And the room was not empty at all; actually, most beds were occupied by students of all years.

"Hey Greengrass" the boy said, when she woke up "if you're wondering about Pansy and Millicent, Madame Pomfrey sent them away cos they were too noisy."

"Oh. And..."

"Miss Greengrass, good morning" the old nurse entered interrupting her, with a tray of medicines.

Daphne nodded. "What makes the infirmary so crowded, Madame?"

"Food poisoning, I'm afraid." The woman was pouring some bright green liquid with a remarkably weird consistence in a spoon. Daphne was firmly determined NOT to drink that, even if her life depended on that.

Theodore laughed. "Food poisoning?" he said, incredulous.

"Yes, Mister Nott, food poisoning, and lower your voice, if you don't want to be sent away." The boy snorted "did you eat the pudding yesterday, Miss Greengrass?"

Daphne shook her head. Pudding. Eww. Disgusting.

"The apple pie, maybe?"

Daphne thought. Yes, actually she had. "Yes" She nodded.

"Oh. Then, it's two spoons." the nurse was talking more to herself than to the girl.

"Hey! How come I get TWO spoons?!" the Slytherin girl almost screamed, in pure disagreement.

"That is because I say so, Miss Greengrass" and she put the spoon in the girl's mouth. Daphne forcefully swallowed, and felt the urge to throw up. It tasted like…the Greengrass girl had no idea what it tasted like, she just knew that it was horrible.

"Another one, Daphne" the nurse said, and she reluctantly opened her mouth and swallowed again.

She looked at Madame Pomfrey, who shook her head, guessing what the girl was about to ask. "I'm afraid that water or anything else that may clear your mouth from the bad taste would interfere with the action of the potion. Now you should rest" and she looked at Theodore, who simply looked back, quietly.

"I will, Madame." Daphne said seriously.

After the nurse was gone, Theodore Nott chuckled again. "Food poisoning, Daphne?"

"Food poisoning. To hell if I'll touch food again without triple checking it with charms and potions." She hissed, feeling dizzy. "Goddamned House Elves." She cursed.

"What's with the goddamned Elves now" Draco replied. Nor Daphne neither Theodore had heard him coming.

"Who cooks the food? House Elves." explained Theodore.

"You're telling me that she's sick cos of the Elves? Now, that's hilarious."

"Hilarious my ass, Malfoy." What in the world did Draco Malfoy want from her? Ok, they were in the same house and all, but still. Slytherins were taught to look with suspicion at every sign of closeness. And friendship between Slytherins was not normal.

"Bad mouthed little girl" the boy said.

Nott chuckled again. "Are you planning revenge on the House Elves?"

"House elves. I always, ALWAYS said that they're trying to kill us with their…disgusting things! And by the way, for me it's all that Mudblood's fault, what's her name, the Potty and Weasel one, it was _her_ putting in their small greenish heads revolutionary ideas…and now they'll kill us ALL" she sighed "I bet she'll eventually make up something like, a party, an association or something that idiotic. And as soon as I will be able to move from this bed without throwing up" she paused "I'll go straight to Dumbledore's office – and if he'll refuse, he'll see how much I'll stay out of the door."

"This is the Daphne we know" Theodore nodded.

"Theo, now, do you mind leaving us?" Draco said, a hand on the boy's shoulder "I have things I need to talk about with Daphne…in private."

Nott grabbed his books, and after squeezing the girl's cheek, he left.

Daphne shook his head. "Well, Draco" she looked at him "what is it that you're so secretive about?"

"I have some interesting news, Daph" the girl snorted at the nickname "some very interesting news on you…and a certain Hufflepuff."


	12. Chapter 12

Wow! I'm like, SO smiling right now!!

Seems like you like my story so far. Sweet!

Now, I'd like to thank:

elenamindollin (of course) : weeeell, let's say that mistakes happen…yes, Draco knows :) grins evilly

Rachel: wow. Thank you, really.

Ruatha's girl: there you go, your daily "Laurel" dose…hope it helps!

And thank you to dragonfangjade, Pwincessmj and celightd for adding!

Now, here's the new chapter. Enjoy, and let me know!

12. ENTERTAIN ME

The young man made himself more comfortable.

"Yes, Daphne, great news" Draco seemed satisfied with what he knew, and with how the negotiation was going on. "Well, news, basically" he muttered on second thought. She might not find the news 'great'.

Daphne was rather sceptical about anything coming out from Draco Malfoy's mouth. "News. Nice. And?"

The boy put on his trademark smirk, his arrogant-to-the-bone smirk, the one that was annoying even for Slytherins. "How much are you willing to give, to have access to very, very confidential information?"

"Listen you Shylock, I am not that interested in anything having to do with the Huffle-stuff…cos it's him we're talking about, right?" Daphne was bothered. AND, her nausea and all was increasing. Not a good sign. Did that slimy green thing that Madame Pomfrey had forced her to drink make the opposite effect?

Draco snorted. "Fine. You're not interested. I'll just wait and see how Diggory's plotting evolve…" the boy was heading to the door of the infirmary. Fingers clenched torturing the white sheets of the hospital bed, the Slytherin girl was biting her lips.

Diggory's plotting! What the hell!

"Wait!" she exclaimed, loud enough to let Draco hear, and loud enough to get a bad look from every other patient in the room. Not that she cared. She gave them a worse look in return.

Extremely satisfied, the boy smiled a victorious smile. He made his way back to her bed with long yet slow paces, foretasting her surrender. Honestly, he hadn't done much for this to happen.

"See, Daphne?" he said softly, sitting on her bedside. "I knew it. And now tell me, what are you willing to give me, Miss Greengrass?"

It rarely happened, but at the moment Daphne Greengrass was at loss for words. All she wanted to give him, at the moment, was a punch on the nose, and then to shake him till he spat out the truth.

Very coldly, and very professionally, just like her father was when talking about business, she did her best not to make him notice her indecision.

"That's not the point, Mister Malfoy" she paused, studying his reaction. She perfectly knew that he couldn't stand anybody calling him that; he had hexed Blaise more than once, hissing things like 'That's my father's name' and 'Don't you _dare_ saying it again'. She found it rather amusing.

"Oh, that's not the point? It sure as hell is the point, Daphne. You give me something unsatisfactory, I leave without any further word. So what you're willing to give me _is_ the point. What are you willing to give, again and for the last time, Daphne?" he was a mere few inches away from her face. Maybe this kind of behaviour would have someone who wasn't in Slytherin intimidated…but between snakes, teasing and threatening was untroubled normality.

She put a finger on his nose. He growled and moved away. Never touch Slytherins, if you're not allowed, it drives them mad.

"That's not the point, Draco, again and for the last time" she then said, not breaking eye contact with him. "The point is: what do you want from me, Draco?"

He smiled. Thanks Merlin in Slytherin not everyone was like Goyle and Crabbe and Pansy. "Precisely" he said "what do I want from you, Daphne?"

The girl was beginning to lose her patience. Actually, she had already lost it. She was no Hufflepuff. But Slytherins were able to keep a façade of calm, just for appearance's sake. That was the essence of the snake's House: appearance, ostentation, falsity, pretence. Daphne liked it. It could be extremely fun, or an incredible burden, to act all the time, to plan actions and reactions and being more cunning than Ravenclaws, more patient than Hufflepuffs…more daring than Gryffindor. And way, way, way smarter than all of them; danger was something that Slytherins disliked with a passion. And Dorian Greengrass had taught his two children well.

"I'm all ears, Draco" she said, sighing.

Again, Draco's lips graced his features with a smile. He wasn't that bad looking, she thought; but she would never think of him in any touchable-like way. The only thought sent cold shivers down her spine. Or maybe it was another side effect of the medicine.

The light outside was fading; most part of the day had gone, and she had wasted it on the goddamned hospital bed.

"Hm." he began "To know that I got someone in debt with me, someone who owes me something." he saw Daphne nodding "And apart from that, my dear Daphne, I want you to do something worthy of your evil deeds' fame. I expect you to do something about what I'm going to tell you, IF you accept and IF I'm going to tell you."

"Oh. Fine." she replied, knowing that she could break the promise and withdraw any moment she wanted. And Draco hadn't been smart enough to make her undergo any magical oath, and not even to have someone with them. She smirked, thinking that the boy still had a lot to learn. Spoiled little brat.

"Hufflepuffs are on a bet." he stated.

Hm. Interesting.

And how exactly was this supposed to bother her? Let silly baby Hufflepuffs play their childish games.

The Malfoy boy noticed that she didn't seem impressed, so he decided to drop the little mental speech he had prepared, and hit her with the juicy news.

"Cedric Diggory is supposed to win a girl's heart. A Slytherin girl's heart. Miss Greengrass' heart." He announced, and he made himself comfortable, enjoying the soon-to-come berserk reaction of the girl.

Daphne closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, in and out. She clenched her fists, strong enough to make her fingers crack. She opened her eyes, filled with anger, and smiled.

"How sweet of him."

"I thought the very same thing." Draco agreed.

"How did you know?"

"First-years are SO easily scared."

"Now, that's amusing."

"Thought so."

"Who else knows?"

"Me, Zab and Nott"

"Nott."

"Him."

"We must shut Blaise's mouth."

"He won't talk; he's as much interested as I am."

"And what exactly did you mean by 'do something about it'?"

Draco paused, and poked her on the forehead, half smiling. "Entertain me."

"_Con piacere_" she replied.

Cedric Diggory. The golden rule of 'how to deal with Slytherins' would soon be a lesson he would never forget. Never play with snakes.


	13. Chapter 13

Mesdames et mesieurs, je suis à Bruxelles! (that's why it took me so long to update…)

Here it rains. All day. I've been here a week, and I haven't seen the town without rain. Nice. My friend in Holland is going to the beach, as there's sun and it's warm. I guess that's what you call 'gross unfaireness of life'.

Anyway.

Thank you to all my readers!

Thank you to elenamindollin, Rachel, Ruatha's girl for reviewing, and to dragonfangjade and Pwincessmj for adding…

Now, enjoy my first belgian chapter!

13. MUGGLE MALFOY

It was early morning when Lord Dorian Greengrass entered, c the infirmary wing.

Not really caring about the other patients in the beds, he approached his daughter, and shook her till she woke up with a start.

"Daphne" he said.

The girl rubbed her eyes, looked at him, and sighed. "Papà." She said in reply. What in the name of Merlin was her father doing there?!

"In English, Daphne. I'm not your mother." He said, taking his dark cloak and putting it on the hospital bed.

"Right. Father. Well, father, what are you doing here?" she asked, combing her hair with her hands. The presence of her father was rather worrying; he was a busy man, working for the Ministry as ambassador, and he was rarely in the United Kingdom. If he was there, there had to be a reason, a good, excellent reason. Lord Dorian Greengrass was not a man who liked to waste his time.

"Wrong, my darling; what are _you_ doing here. It's not even two months since school started, and you already end up in a hospital bed." He removed his dark gloves and placed it atop of the cloak. Daphne moved her eyes away; she always had a hard time staring in those dark eyes. Everyone told her that she had her father's eyes…and she was not sure it was a compliment.

"Food poisoning" she said, still looking away.

"Food poisoning. Daphne look at the person you're talking to, and do something for that posture, you're not old and you're supposed to act ladylike." Placing his hands on her shoulder, he made her back stand straight. "Food poisoning."

The girl sighed. "Yes, father, food poisoning. Like all the other persons you see in this room."

"House Elves. With their filthy green hands. I'll have a talk with Dumbledore. And if it'll happen again, I'll move you to Durmstrang, with your brother."

Daphne did not care much about staying in Hogwarts or going to Durmstrang. Actually, she did not care at all. She nodded.

"What are you doing here in Hogwarts, father?" she asked, curiously.

"Ministry business, Daphne."

Daphne knew that when he said that, it meant that he was not into giving further details.

"Professor Snape told me you got detention." He stated coldly.

Snape. She had to know he would tell on.

"I did."

"He told me that you were duelling with a Hufflepuff." Dorian Greengrass seemed disappointed, Daphne noticed. No, 'disappointed' was euphemism.

"I was not duelling with Cedric Diggory" she commented.

"Cedric Diggory! Did you lose your mind, daughter!" he exclaimed, raising his voice. "Amos Diggory works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic, you foolish girl! Oh, for the Dark Lord's sake, what where you doing to his son?" her father seemed more concerned about his working place safety than for the boy. The girl shrugged, she did not understand why her father was so concerned about his job; actually, what she didn't quite catch, was _why_ he was interested in someone who works in such a minor position as Huffle-stuff's father. Whatever.

"I did nothing to him. _He_ is the one who did something to me." She replied, putting in that 'he' all the loathing she could manage.

"Oh, and what exactly do you blame him for?" Dorian Greengrass did not really believe to what his daughter was saying.

"Let's say he ruined my week, papà. I mean, father. He is the main cause of my 'Acceptable' in Arithmancy…" she mentally cursed. Daphne Greengrass should learn to shut up, while talking to her father. She rarely saw him, and every time she did not know when to stop…he wanted their conversations to be on her victories, and not on her falls.

"Acceptable in Arithmancy!" he sat down. "Daphne Greengrass" Ouch. "You..." but Daphne never knew what her father was about to say.

Madame Chips, followed by Albus Dumbledore, entered the infirmary.

"Lord Dorian Greengrass" the headmaster greeted him.

"Headmaster" the tall man nodded in reply.

"I do not believe that you have the right to wander about the school…" Madame Pomfrey began.

"No no! It's alright! He came here to see if I was fine…" Daphne said. Yes, sure.

Her father shot her a cold glare. "Daphne, my dear, take care. And try not to hex any other student…especially if their parents work in the Ministry, am I understood?"

She had not hexed Diggory! "Yes, father. Thank you for visiting."

He grabbed his cloak and gloves, and went out of the room with a steady pace, leaving behind an astonished, wondering daughter.

"Daphne" professor Dumbledore began, smiling, trying to soothe the tension "Madame Chips came to give you the medicine."

Daphne snorted. "I had sort of guessed, Headmaster." 

That day had been full of surprises. After her father's thunderous visit, some of her fellows Slytherin had come to say hi, including a certain Malfoy boy.

Draco had come to make sure that Daphne was really out to do something for the Diggory thing. Well, basically. He had also come to visit the girl just for the sake of it, which was so not Malfoy like. The boy had surprised even himself, when he had declared to Blaise Zabini, going out from their common room, that he was going to check the Greengrass girl.

And now he was there.

"Did you already think about something, Greengrass?" he asked, in a low voice.

Daphne smirked. "I am SO not going to tell you, Malfoy. Just know that you'll be delighted."

"I'm sure." He handed her a book.

Daphne looked at the cover. "Thank you, Draco. If I had had asthma, you would have killed me." She grabbed her wand, and whispered '_Unpulvis_' to clean it from the huge coating of dust upon it. She read the title. _Il Piacere_, by Gabriele D'Annunzio. Daphne was shocked.

"Draco. It's a Muggle book." She said, looking at the boy in the eyes.

"What the fuck?!" he grabbed it and checked the cover. "Goddamned pug-facedParkinson. I had asked her to get you something you liked. And what kind of a language is that?!" he quickly flipped through the pages.

"It's Italian, Draco." Daphne sighed, grabbing the book. "And I actually happen to like it. Say thanks to Pansy."

"You read those filthy Muggle books?!" he asked, eyes wide open. She nodded. "What the hell is wrong with our Pureblood literature! What the hell is wrong with _you_, woman!" he was in a pure state of shock.

"You know, Malfoy. You may find it interesting. It's a Decadent novel, and you would find your supermanistic being at ease reading this. And you know what the good thing is?" she asked, turning the pages.

He weakly shook his head. The thought that one of his favorite Slytherin role-models was a Muggle books reader had deprived him of all strength.

"There's not even a moral at the end, for what the main character does." She looked at him, and in a second she was sure that Draco Malfoy had no idea what 'decadent novel' and 'supermanistic' meant. She sighed. "There's a guy who's clever, attractive and subtle and uses his culture, money and influence to have everything he wants, and everyone he wants." Daphne explained, in more non-Muggle terms.

"As you wish, Greengrass. I just want you to know that my stone heart hurts, now. And I won't tell anyone just cos I don't want anyone knowing that I even _touched_ one of those things, not to mention the fact that I _know_ its plot." He passed a hand through his hair, visibly disappointed.

But Daphne was not listening. Her eyes were wide, in a look that could be easily misinterpreted for awe and surprise, but that Draco interpreted like pure loathe and hatred. Her eyes were fixed n someone.

"Hello, Daphne."


	14. Chapter 14

SORRY

EXCUSEZ-MOI

I know I haven't updated for such a long time…but Bruxelles is painfully draining me of my vital energy. This freaking hysterical weather is making me depressed.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and read, hope you'll be enjoying the next chapter and the next part of the story! And sorry if my english is weird, well, weirder than usual, but thinking in italian and speaking in french is not helping…

14. PHILOSOPHICAL SHORT TALK

There he was.

In all his Hufflepuff-ness, in all his golden-boyishness, in all his perfect- and prefect-ness.

Daphne could not keep herself from thinking that yes, Cedric Diggory was quite a pleasant sight. As pleasant as a Raffaello painting or a Michelangelo statue.

"You." Draco said, breaking the silence that had followed the older boy's greeting.

"You." Added the Greengrass girl, quite bothered.

Cedric ignored the nasty tone of both Slytherins, and kept on talking as if nothing was wrong. "Daphne, I heard you've been sick."

Oh, the cuteness. How much she was enjoying it.

With her most poisonous voice, she smiled her fake smile and replied "I'm sicker now than I was before, Diggory."

"Cedric."

"Diggory."

He sighed, at the hundredth smirk of the blonde Slytherin boy, who had gotten himself more comfortable to enjoy whatever was to come.

"Draco, I don't think that Huffle-stuff came here to stand in front of my bed." She gave him a meaningful look.

"I bet he hasn't, Day" he chuckled, standing up and fixing his uniform.

"And be sure I'll update you, Dra" she said, giving the blonde Malfoy one last look before concentrating on the other boy.

"Diggory. Hadn't I told you not to bother me again?" she said, coldly.

Cedric sighed, knowing that this was going to last long. "Actually that's why I'm here, Daphne. I think we started with the wrong foot."

"Started what?" she asked, feigning surprise.

"Everything" waving his hair with his hand, he took the other Slytherin's place beside her on the bed, and pretended to ignore the evil look in her eyes "every single thing. And I am not talking about friendship or Merlin knows what, more about coexistence, being in the same place without ending up with you hexing me to death."

"First of all, you're not worth the effort of me hexing you to death. You're no one, Diggory. I was perfectly fine until a few days ago, before you ruinously entered my life I didn't even acknowledge your existence, and when you walked down the hall or something you were nothing more than a shadow to my eyes. Can't we go back to that?"

Taken aback, Cedric stared at the girl, eyes wide with surprise. Was she kidding, or she meant to be this mean?! What kind of parents could have raised such a snake?! Hn. Slytherins, of course.

"What, you thought I was one of your forsaken fan girls?!" indignation filled her voice, and he quickly shook his head negatively, before the situation would slip out of hand.

He thought at when he had found himself on the ground, limbs mixed with those of a girl he had never really noticed before. No, liar, he knew who she was, he had seen her around, and had heard his friends talking about her, and she sure as hell had known who he was.

"Don't think too highly of yourself, Diggory. I am no brainless Hufflepuff, no spineless Ravenclaw, and no filthy Gryffindor. I don't want to get mixed with your lot." She spat out. It was scary how she managed to look superior even when she was visibly enraged.

"Your lot? What is 'your lot' supposed to mean? You're no better than anybody, you're not superior, and no one is inferior to you."

"So touching, Diggory, are you finished with your nice guy stereotype words?"

"These words are oh so true, you should fly down Daphne."

"Not my fault I was born in aristocracy and you guys ended up in the wrong side of life."

"Do you really mean what you say, or are you just repeating the words your parents taught you?" he said, beginning to raise his voice.

"And you, do you really mean what you say, or are you just repeating the words your parents taught you, Huffle-stuff?" she replied, imitating his gestures.

"You're not a princess Daphne, in spite of what everyone calls you."

"I have more nobility in little finger than you'll ever have in your whole being, Diggory, yet your demented fan girls call you Prince Charming and stuff. It's creepy, really."

"See, Daphne? That's what I mean when I talk about wrong attitudes. I did nothing wrong to you, and yet you treat me like scum." The boy said, determined not to give up.

"Not so sure about the nothing wrong, plus, I am like this to everybody. No special treatment for you, sorry." Daphne was losing interest in the conversation, like she always did when she was criticized by someone. She began playing with stray locks of hair, knowing this was going to last long.

"You shouldn't." he said, serious.

"I shouldn't." the girl mocked him, her face betraying her amusement.

"You shouldn't. This attitude of yours only helps you in gaining enemies. Isn't it better to have friends to talk to, to count on, to lean on?!" Cedric was not sure about the direction his talk was taking. He had meant to talk about _them_, as in the _two of them_, not about her misanthropy.

Taking a few seconds to fully taste the sugar dripping from the Hufflepuff's words, the younger girl broke into laughter.

Again, Cedric was taken aback. He would have expected her screaming at him one of those epithets she seemed so fond of, or to just sit and stare, but... to laugh?

"What now" he growled, frustrated, and beginning to feel uncomfortably hot.

"That's the problem! You completely miss the point, Diggory. You understand nothing at all. Friends?" her words were mixed with laughter, which made Cedric wish he was talking to a boy. He could have hit her, if she had been a boy.

The laughter died. She suddenly turned serious.

"Friendship does not exist. Friendship is useless. That's the point you're missing. Slytherins don't have friends. Friends are an unnecessary burden. Useful acquaintances, Diggory. Not friends. Friendship is not worth the effort. "

"What! But…"

"I am not going to discuss the philosophical concept of friendship with you, Diggory. Actually, I don't really feel like talking to you at all. Move your ass and get out of here." She said interrupting him.

Cedric sighed, and turned his back. Why, just why had he accepted such a stupid bet? Daphne Greengrass was icy cold. If she despised friendship, what would she think about love?! He wondered how, why she had become like this. The girl had probably grown up in a cold family, pure-blood, Slytherin, eww…but this was not a good reason to be so closed!

All of a sudden, he felt that the challenge he had been obliged to undertake was…really getting to him.

He had reached the door, when he turned to look at her. Surprisingly, he found her staring at him. The boy felt his cheeks burn for no particular reason.

"Come with me to Hogsmeade next weekend." He said, not knowing where he had found the guts to do that.

"No." she replied, smiling coldly.

He smirked. He knew she was going to say so. Annoying little brat she was. "The invitation is valid until Friday night. I'll be waiting."

"That'll be the day, Diggory!" she made an impatient gesture with her hand and looked away.

Cedric Diggory moved to close the hospital wing door. "You know where to find me" he half shouted, closing the door right before it was hit by a shoe.


	15. Chapter 15

_I haven't updated in AGES. Well, desolée, but with this being my final year things are a bit messed up. Cheer up, tho! I already have the next two chapters more or less ready...so you won't have to wait this long again. I hope._

_Thank you to _elenamindollin _who is always so supportive with me, maybe without knowing that her support actually MEANS something to me! When will we read more about Rachel, Elena?_

_Thank you to all the readers and well, i hope you haven't forgotten Daphne. Enjoy!_

* * *

15. A YES IS A YES

He hadn't talked to her for the whole week. He hadn't even seen her for the whole week, actually. Not even caught a glimpse of her by mistake while walking down some corridor by pure chance. Zero. Nada. Merlin.

Since Cedric Diggory had asked Daphne Greengrass to Hogsmeade while she was in the hospital wing, she seemed to have disappeared from the castle of Hogwarts. Even Roger Davies seemed to be looking for her; he had heard the Ravenclaw boy asking around for traces of her more than once, but no one replied with something useful. Not that he would have gone hunting for the damned girl. After all, he was just doing it for the bet's sake, wasn't he? And to teach her the lesson Wayne was talking about, right? Jeez.

He closed his Herbology book and headed to the door, caught in the middle of the chatter of all his others fellow housemates, hearing everything and listening to nothing. It was the last class of that boring and grey Friday afternoon, and the boy was pretty much sure that he had to take that cold 'no' as a final answer. Not that he had expected otherwise, though, but saying he hadn't hoped for a yes would have been a lie. He breathed in the late October air, and stared at the twilight sky. It was almost dark already, and that made him sleepy. He'd better hurry and have his homework done before he actually fell asleep in the common room. Cedric hated falling asleep in the common room, basically because he usually woke up to an insisting sensation of more than one stare fixed on him. And it was far from pleasant being surrounded by staring girls. Whatever. He needed to get rid of that Transfiguration essay first things first, and then…

"Hey, Huffle-stuff!"

It was with Cedric's utmost surprise that he was shaken off his thoughts by an all too familiar voice, calling him the usual nasty nickname.

Unsure on whether to smile or sigh, he turned to face the door he had just come out from, only to find a Slytherin girl leaning with her back on the wall of the greenhouse. Before replying, he took a moment to stare at her. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, with her forehead covered in bangs. Her skin color, usually tanned-like, had faded into some kind of paler complexion. And as usual, the neck of her shirt and her tie were carelessly messy, giving her an air of annoyed and unwanted elegance. Slytherin thing, he thought.

"Mrs Greengrass, what a pleasure" he told her with a huge smile. What had he been thinking until a few moments ago? His mind was blank, barely registering where he was and where he was headed. It was truly a pleasure for him to see her, for no particular reason, but Cedric knew better than to give in naively to her potential tricks.

With a little hop she moved from the position she was in, and was right beside the taller boy.

"Diggory, to hell with the over polite behaviour." She grabbed him by the arm and started walking towards the castle, sort of dragging him for a few steps before he began to actually walk on his own. "It might work on brainless Chang and your bunch of average dim-witted Hufflepuff girls, but Slytherins see through this kind of stuff."

Cedric arched a brow. "See through? What if I am actually over polite, like, it's the way I am or something?"

She shrugged. "That's unlikely. Everyone has hidden aims. Nothing for nothing. But if you are genuinely like this, then I am sorry. Nobody's perfect. Soon you'll get kicked in the ass for being over-nice and then you'll 

learn. It's not up to me to tell you how to live an Hufflepuff's life. Actually, had I been a Hufflepuff, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of living it at all, you know."

His eyes went wide. "Hey! Hey!" he half-shouted in protest, releasing himself from the grip. Now, okay that she was a Slytherin and all that jazz, but the Hufflepuff-suicide thing could have been spared! That was just bad etiquette. But of course, he didn't say a word about that.

"Diggory, Diggory, Diggory" she shook her head re-grabbing him. "Take it easy dude. Snap off that 'just and loyal, patient and unafraid of toil' state of mind."

"Wow you actually remember the Sorting Hat's words for Hufflepuff!" he exclaimed, surprised.

"Wow, how cool, I do, yeah, so useful, huh?" she replied making a face. Cedric could only sigh.

They entered the castle, and the boy could begin to feel the stares, the comments and the reactions that Daphne Greengrass hung at Cedric Diggory's arm chatting more or less pacifically inspired. He half-worriedly scanned the crowd of students going out from classes, heading to the Great Hall or their common room.

Daphne, on the other hand, was quite amused. Draco's words on the bet still played in her mind, and she had too much of a nice plan not to exploit those little moments Cedric so willingly gave her. Only sometimes her mind was touched by the thought that maybe he did the things he did, smiled the way he did, spoke the way he did just because of the damned bet. Whatever, not like she cared. The girl tightened the grip on him, smirking in satisfaction at the stares of hate she was getting from most of the female population, and just a tiny bit to breathe in more deeply his scent. He smelled great, she thought. Looking down on her he sighed in frustration. That girl was impossible. What a bothersome being.

They had been walking in that strange arm-in-arm way from the greenhouses to the corridors of the Great Hall. What was the point of her visit? Cedric thought it might be fun to tease her a bit.

"Daphne. Did you come to escort me to the castle? You know, I'm old enough to make it alone"

She released him with annoyance. "Yeah yeah whatever Diggory, just wanted to say that maybe I was going to Hogsmeade with you tomorrow after all, but then again, you bored me already."

Cedric froze. Daphne sped up, eyeing Roger Davies talking to some guy in the corridor leading to the Great Hall. Wasn't Diggory such a bore.

He shook, and sped up too, grabbing the girl by the wrist rather rudely, surprising himself. He inwardly was about to apologize for the excessive impetus, but her amused look told him otherwise. She dragged him closer and stared straight in his grey-blue eyes. Daphne found his eyes absolutely dazzling, but that was not the moment.

"Yes, Huffle-stuff?" she said in a husky voice, with a not so hidden hint of sarcasm.

"Come with me tomorrow. Wait for you here at 9-ish or something?"

"Kay, sure." she nodded "Here at 9-ish or something." Daphne then released his grip, turned and began walking down the corridor, likely heading to the dungeon.

Diggory blinked. Was it this easy? Like, come, yes, the end? Woah. Didn't seem so last week.

"Diggoryyy, cooome" he heard her calling him, without even turning or slowing down or anything. He hated this superiority and everything- is-owed-to-me air she always had. It made him feel like sending her to hell.

But then again, he always followed.

_Weeeell? I hadn't written a single page in months, so i hope i didn't become too much of a disaster. if i did, let me know. if i didn't...well feedback is appreciated anyways!_

hugs

_Giulia_


	16. Chapter 16

_I know, I know, my french books, my english books, my history books are staring at me with a look of disapproval, but i could care less. Well, I'll care when I'll be face to face with my teachers, but that's another story. I found myself writing something like 4 chapters in the past two days, completely out of fun, regardless to the feedback. And of course, thank you to my best reviewer, _elenamindollin! _I am going to update like crazy in the following days, just to fall back into silence for a while when my exam session started. Give it up for Giulia!!_

* * *

16. LISTEN, MATE

Cedric ran out of the still-life painting covering the cellar door of Hufflepuff's common room. He was late. He was damn late. It had taken him _ages_ to find some clothes he didn't find sickening foul on him. It had taken him _ages._ And, in addiction to this new kind of appearance-stress, he had to stand the comments of his whole dormitory.

"Yes I am going to Hogsmeade with Daphne Greengrass." He had nodded while putting on a red jumper. Gosh no way, this made his cheek look even more flushed.

"No, it was me who asked her." He replied taking off the jumper and throwing it randomly somewhere on his bed. He took a moment to stare at the mess that was his bed and his trunk, and suddenly he felt so out of character. He was behaving like a girl for no particular reason.

He plunging his head into the trunk. "Yes, yes, the bet. How could I forget." He found a black hoodie and put it on, while standing in front of the mirror. He tossed it desperately on the bed, where it piled with the rest of discarded clothes.

His eyes went wide. Justin Fintch-Fletchley chuckled, while Smith and Stebbins wore simultaneously an evil smirk. "Merlin, no, I don't have any plan to snog her! And what does that 'yet' imply?" bare-chested, he walked away from the mirror for the hundredth time, and inspected the content of the dark wooden almost empty trunk. He turned to stare in shock at the younger boy. "Blimey Wayne!! Don't get so graphic!" Wayne Smith chuckled, leaving Cedric to think about what had kids in mind nowadays. "Does this sweater look at least half decent?" he added, pointing at a random green sweater sprawled across the bed. "Kay" he muttered at the negative answer of his mates.

"I _know_ she said yes after a week, but she did say yes, didn't she?" he put on the dark blue t-shirt that Zacharias Smith had thrown at him, and put on a v-neck grey jumper on top. Cedric stared at his reflection, finally satisfied, and passed a hand through his messy bronze hair. Good.

Only then did he remind about the time, and after grabbing his black jacket and waving to his dorm-mates who whistled at him he hurried to the meeting point. Blimey. Daphne was going to kill him.

Heading towards the Great Hall half running half walking, he wondered about what kind of day that was going to be. Honestly, the Hufflepuff boy had no idea what to expect from a non-date with Daphne Greengrass. Oh. How would she look without the uniform? He had never paid attention at her very much before the crashing event.

So, plan, Cedric, he thought while walking. What to do with Daphne? The only sure thing was Madame Puddifoot's teashop. All the girls he had dated had dragged him there. And Daphne Greengrass, Slytherin and evil and bitchy and bossy and so on, was likely not to make an exception. Well, if she did make an exception, that was simply awesome. But knowing her, or not knowing her, she always could have insisted to go there only for the sake of bothering him. Yes, she was likely going to. But he was not going to give up without fighting, with Daphne he felt he could allow himself a little bit more importance than usual. This feeling was rather contradictory of the usual condition of subordination she put him to.

He could already see the light at the end of the cellar tunnel when suddenly something grabbed him by the shoulder.

‑­

Cedric turned hastily to find out _who _or _what_ was keeping him to make it almost on time to his non-date with Slytherin girl.

"Diggory" the boy's deep voice made him jolt.

"Roger" he said looking in the eyes of the Chaser, regaining his composure. "What's wrong?" he asked, still puzzled from the Ravenclaw's actions. And, as a matter of fact, from the very presence of the other Quidditch captain.

Davies looked rather embarrassed. "Sorry for, hum, sort of scaring Merlin out of you… just wanted to talk to you, basically."

Cedric flashed him a nervous smile, busy playing with some coins he had in his pocket. Roger Davies popped out in behind him from nowhere the day he was going to Hogsmeade with Daphne Greengrass, Davies'-non-girlfriend. "Sure, but listen, hum, can we make it quick? I have someone waiting and…"

"Yeah, Daphne's waiting, yeah. Like I didn't know." Davies stood tall in front of him "Well this is more important. And about her, actually."

_Blimey_ was all Cedric thought. This was going to take long. And even if it wasn't, it had sickened him already anyways.

"Listen, Diggory, I kind of know her by now. Hum, maybe I don't but still. We've been sort of, well, yeah, we got sort of closer in the last months, you get me." Cedric arched a brow. What was his point exactly? Mark her out or something?

"Roger, wait, it's" he began, but the dark haired boy shut him up.

"She has a thing for you, Diggory. Dunno if it's positive or negative. But she does."

The Hufflepuff prefect furrowed his brow. "Oh."

"Bet you know I go for the 'negative'. I mean, I don't like you with her. At all, mate. At all. But since we're not officially together or anything, I can actually do nothing about it." He shrugged. Officially together? "One last thing, Diggory. And this time I mean it for your good only."

"Hum, go ahead" Cedric wasn't sure he wanted this conversation to go on.

"You're not tough enough."

"Excuse me?" he found himself rather astonished by the declaration.

"You're not tough enough for her. She'll use you, she always does, takes and leaves, and whenever she wants she comes back for more. Now, with me it's pretty much fine, mainly cos I'm not into relationship terms either, but you, Cedric Diggory, Golden Boy, you, are going to bleed. Trust me. Enjoy your day off, but keep it cool, lad. Seriously. I say this for you. Daphne is not the right kind of girl for you."

Roger turned his back and made to leave. The Hufflepuff stared at him for a second, muttering something like 'I'll think about it'.

"Have a nice day" Cedric shouted at him, before running to the Great Hall.

* * *

_Seriously, we couldn't expect Daphne's non-boyfriend to be all cheerful about her going to Hogsmeade with another guy. And i think that the fact that this other guy is THE Cedric Diggory doesn't exactly keep him quiet either. SO! Tell me what you think! See you VERY soon, finally with HOGSMEADE!_

Giulia


	17. Chapter 17

_Again, here i am, updating with the visit to Hogsmeade :) and my usual thank you to madame elenamindollin, whose criticism is SO helping me with the translation part of my ENGLISH EXAM. In my next life i'll be an English mothertongue, at all costs. Lol. Buona lettura!_

* * *

16. SIMPLY HOGSMEADE

He spotted her immediately.

She was sitting on a staircase, with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. He couldn't help but wish she had been alone or at least with her girl friends or something. She always had to have some guy around. Annoying.

What stroke Cedric was the absence of her trademark ponytail, and her long hair sprawled across her shoulders in dark waves. And also, the fact that she was wearing muggle clothes. Black pea jacket, grey and green striped scarf, light blue jeans, black skater shoes and matching bag and hair band. She was pretty. Not that he had ever thought differently. She was evil, bitchy, bossy, but not unpretty.

He decided, in spite of his monstrous delay, to stare at them a few moments. It was one of the rare times that the girl was not screaming or shouting or hexing or being bossy.

Daphne was reading something like a letter, and her face, expressionless till a few seconds before, turned clouded.

"What is it that you have there, Day?" asked her Zabini through yawns.

Daphne shrugged. "Got a letter from Federico and Astoria" she snorted. "Astoria seems happy."

"Awesome" replied Theodore Nott. He knew how much she hated to talk about her younger sister.

"Did you have a fight with your mother or something?" Blaise was just too curious for his own good.

The girl sighed, annoyed. Lucrezia Da Carrara-Greengrass. Her mother was a crazed woman, as far as Daphne was concerned, always too careless for her tastes, and she had a thing for her younger daughter, as her and her brother were but a source of trouble. She had weird views, according to the Slytherin girl, like when she decided to send Astoria and Federico to Durmstrang because the three brothers would be better off apart and not all together like at home, or the fact that the Dark Lord should have placed House Elves as living shelters during the war, as it would have spared many valid wizards and witches, or when she decided that 7 was the perfect age for Daphne to learn advanced Potions , and sometimes Daphne couldn't help but agree with her father when he felt like shutting her mouth with a perpetual sticky charm or something. She just didn't get her mother.

"She's nice" Theodor commented. Yeah. Her mother was a stunning beauty, Narcissa Malfoy-style.

"Crazed." The girl snapped back shooting him a death glare.

"She used to let us use the brooms in your hall…" added Blaise, dreamily. Sure, reason enough to like her.

"Where the hell is Huffle-stuff!" she cried out frustrated for both the conversation and his delay. "_He_ was the one to say 9-ish. Not me. Bloody idiot."

"No swearing allowed, Miss Greengrass" Nearly Headless Nick reproached, floating away. The girl snorted.

"Like we would listen to a Gryffindor ghost" Nott chuckled.

Cedric wanted to tell her that he had been there all along, but maybe this wouldn't have her calmed down. All the opposite, he feared. He thanked Merlin when Zabini and Nott left, after kissing her softly on the cheeks. He didn't know Slytherins allowed such displays of affection… well.

"Daphne" he said, stepping in front of her with a warm smile.

"Diggory. You're late. When people are late, my mood gets progressively bad. And you're rather late, Diggory." She eyed him threateningly.

He offered her a hand to get up, which she stared at, uncertain on what to do, before taking it.

"Really, I'm sorry I'm late! I have a lot of reasons for not being on time…" he excused himself, deciding that his short rendezvous with the Ravenclaw captain could go unmentioned. As well as his, hum, fashion incident.

She dusted off the back of her light blue jeans and stuck out her tongue. "Yeah, and some of them might even be true."

This was not a good start. Damn Davies. "Good morning Daphne" Cedric said, hoping they could start the conversation all over again.

"'morning Huffle-stuff. You look less bad than your usual standard." Daphne said, heading to the huge wooden door that separated the castle from the rest of the world. Daphne thought that he actually looked good, as in, very good. But there was no point in telling him.

The Hufflepuff boy was firmly determined not to have her venomous tongue spoil that day. He decided to look at the bright side of what she had just said, interpreting it as a compliment. "Thank you, Daphne." He smiled, and hopped at her side.

There was a moment of silence, in which only the sound of the snowstorm filled their hears.

"Well?" she said, giving him an expectant look, while putting on green and black striped gloves.

"Huh? Well what, Daphne?"

"Where's the 'you look as gorgeous as usual', or the 'wow you look stunning today' part?" she asked him, brows furrowed "When one shows appreciation on someone's looks, it's cos they _expect_ that this someone tells something nice back, Huffle-stuff."

The taller boy laughed. Sure, Daphne Slytherin Greengrass couldn't have gone by any other philosophy. Nothing for nothing. "Wow! Today you look stunning, Daphne!" he said, maybe meaning it.

The girl stopped abruptly, and froze him with a glare. "If that was sarcasm, it was just pitiful, Diggory. And quit it with my name, you abuse it. Not that I remember ever allowing you to call me by name."

"And you abuse of both my surname and that ugly nickname you made up, Daphne." He poked her forehead, sniggering.

It was Daphne's turn to be frozen on her steps. He poked her? How dared he touch her with his filthy Hufflepuff fingers?! That was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

It was almost two o'clock.

A boy and a girl went out of Honeydukes chuckling and conversing pleasantly, flirting with complicity. Her long hair moved by the chilly wind, she tucked the neck of her jacket to keep her warmer. He passed an arm around her shoulders, and they both blushed, as he whispered sweet nothings in her hear. She giggled, and put in his mouth some candy, likely just bought in the famous sweet shop.

A few meters, behind Cedric and Daphne followed.

Daphne was nervously chewing on her chocoballs, and kicking snowdrifts. Cedric and Daphne were still alive, after more or less five hours in each other's company. As a matter of fact, those had been pleasant hours. They had spent almost the whole time between the Three Broomsticks and the book shop, because of the cold, cold weather. He felt indulging stares on him, and she quite clearly heard half voiced comments of broken hearted fan girls. But they were rather peaceful, for once. Cedric thought that clearly Daphne was crediting this truce thing on her own qualities, like her proverbial patience or something. If this made her happy, the Hufflepuff was surely not going to tell her otherwise. He was having a good time, after all.

He had noticed, while walking beside her, his hands warm in his pockets, that the Slytherin girl had turned rather nervous. Something was ticking her off, but he couldn't quite tell what, since she had been fine, until they came out of Honeydukes.

When the boy in front of her bent down to place a timid kiss on the girl's cheek, Daphne groaned rather loudly, making him Cedric as loud.

"That's gross! That's just gross! Stupid Ravenclaws!" she squealed to the couple, visibly annoyed.

Cedric placed a hand on her mouth quickly and without thinking and muttered something like 'that was nothing about you guys' to the two lovebirds, making the girl swoon and the boy frown. He dragged a kicking up Slytherin girl behind the corner of a house.

"OUCH!" he cried in pain when she bit hard in his flesh.

He immediately released her and she spin to face him, pointing her wand at him.

"Do that again" she hissed fixing her long black and green scarf around her neck, eyes narrowed "and I hex you. To death."

"Daphne! Like, was it even _polite_ of you to make nasty comments about them _aloud_?!" the boy inspected his hand to have an idea of the damage done "and put that wand away" he added. Had she managed to piss off lovely, patient Cedric Diggory?

The girl put her wand away, and walked closer. "Are you bleeding?" she asked feigning indifference, looking away, ending up staring at a random point in the sky "I don't have any deadly disease, don't panic" she added.

His expression softened, and he shook his head.

"Well whatever. They _were_ gross anyways. All love-lovey and chirp-chirpy and stuff. Eww. Sickening." Muttered Daphne still looking away, pouting.

Cedric began walking, and she followed. "Do you have a problem with people in love, Daphne?" he asked, sarcastically.

"Yes. They're dumb. And dumb people sicken me."

"They're dumb. What makes them dumb?" he asked, rather interested. _Of course_ that Slytherin princess had a problem with people in love. Obviously.

"Love makes them dumb. Love makes everyone dumb, for definition. Nothing is about love. It's all about shagging and not particularly hating each other until you grow tired of the other. Yu hu. And enough with the shit-talk, Diggory." She snorted, taking him by the arm and dragging him somewhere, rather fast-paced.

Sure. When Miss Greengrass dislikes something, that something _must_ disappear.

"Where to, Daphne?" he asked her, speeding up to keep up with her pace.

"Madame Puddifoot's" was her casual reply.

Cedric's hopes fell. He planted his feet on the ground, refusing to move. Daphne turned, puzzled. And her face met a shocked Cedric Diggory. Cute, she thought. Definitely handsome, that's what Cedric Diggory was.

"Madame Puddifoot's" he replied, mechanically. He had been wrong. She was like any other girl he had dated. Sure, she was cold and bitchy in addiction, but still, _Madame Puddifoot's_! Tough on the outside, all hearts and frills on the inside. Merlin. What did he do to deserve that?!

"Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop" she repeated, as if he was dumb.

"I _know_ the place, Daphne. Just _why_?" the disappointment in his voice was clear.

"Cos she makes this awesome hot chocolate to take away, and because I want to show you off" she explained, still staring at him, who was still staring at her. She had a nice mouth, he thought.

Wait. "Show me off?" she nodded "What is that exactly supposed to mean?!" show him off?? Like, some 200 galleons pair of shoes or something like that?! No way.

"You're Cedric Diggory, I have you for the day, and I want to show you off." The Slytherin replied, and he was astonished by how earnest she was being "And I _adore_ making Cho-human-fountain-Chang cry. She does that a lot, you know. It's hilarious. She'll be there with the Merlin-knows-who of the week, inwardly wishing it was you, and this would be just too much fun." She confirmed with a smirk.

Great. "Listen, Daphne. Making people cry is far from hilarious. Don't call Cho that, she is just…sensitive. And no, I won't get involved in this thing you have in mind. It's just not nice." Cho wishing he was out with her? Good to know.

Daphne wanted to make some nasty comment on the 'don't call Cho that' line, especially because she had tons of better nicknames for Cho-bloody-Chang, but on second thought, she knew how to get what she wanted anyways. No boy could resist that. Not even Draco or Blaise. It was the same thing her mother did to her stoic father, and not even stoic Dorian Greengrass could resist. One of the few useful things her mother had taught her, besides from Potions.

She pouted, and looked at him with pleading eyes. "But _Cedric_…the hot chocolate…" she grabbed the neckline of his jacket (while noticing how black highlighted his unique eyes) and began to toy with it, half seductively half childishly "She puts melted peppermint toad creams inside…and melted chocoballs, as well!" the girl lifted her face so that it was a mere few centimeters away from his.

Cedric was taken aback. Trying to think and to forget the hammering beat of his heart caused by her vicinity, and pretending not to notice her perfume filling his nostrils asking just to be breathed in deeply. And. And. And. And she had called him _Cedric._ His name on her lips sounded just so right. Seriously, she knew her stuff. Merlin. Damn her tricks.

"N…no" he stuttered, finally.

What the fuck. Daphne fought hard to keep her self control, when all she wanted was to shove him into the arms of a Dementor. She had even called this worthless bag of flesh by _name_!! Biting her lip, she decided to push it.

"But…the melted chocoballs…" she looked away rather innocently, not moving an inch from the vicinity she had trapped them in. She felt she was about to throw up. Too honey coated.

Too cute, Merlin hex her. "Fine" Cedric roared. Blimey. "But it's only in, grab the chocolate, and out."

Again, keeping back the urge to cheer at her manipulative abilities, Daphne wore a big smile. And this big smile was almost heartfelt, for once. He couldn't have said no for real. In Slytherin they had nicknamed her Princess as soon as she had entered Hogwarts, much thanks to the seniors. Not that that kind of attentions embarrassed her, they simply left her indifferent, and honestly, she couldn't do much if the idiot on call looked at her as if she had just kicked him between the legs just because she had refused his -usually not so hidden, specially if coming from a Slytherin- invitation.

Feeling bold (he was always Cedric Diggory, she shouldn't forget that, and a guise of awed admiration was required even from Daphne Greengrass when dealing with him in such closeness), she placed a quick peck on his cheek. This should have him demented for the rest of the walk till Madame Puddifoot's, she thought.

And so was it.

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_I hope that this time my awful mis-spelling and similars aren't just as bad...otherwise i can start crying thinking about my exam. Buon weekend!_

_Giulia_


	18. Chapter 18

_Give it up for me! Passing exams while handling a bad break up with my 4 years bf and still managing to write chapters! Actually, this writing thing is more of a therapy than i would have thought..._

_As usual, thank you to my PREZIOSISSIMA CONSIGLIERA elenamindollin, and to everyone who is going to read i hope you enjoy the chapter!_

_Giulia_

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**18. ALRIGHT**

That night, Daphne was practically sure that something was wrong with her. Something was very, very, very awfully wrong. Starting from the way she had lingered while saying goodbye to Cedric Diggory.

She had tried her very best to make the few moments before they parted last longer, stretching every second of their time together until she had had to give up on his scent, give up on his presence, and walk back to the dungeon while he went the opposite way.

Her own self esteem had died when she had turned to look back to see if he was looking back, which he _clearly_ didn't.

Yeah.

That was it.

She was a complete, total, utter idiot.

She sighed. For Salazar's sake just how many first years would she have to hex to make up for this shamefully disgraceful state she was in?

" Prunus Avium" she muttered to the wall, thanking that she hadn't met anyone on the way to the common room. But she knew this blessed loneliness was about to end. When she entered the dungeon-like room, and glancing at the low ceiling, she felt the weight of the lake above them grinding on her.

"Day!" Blaise welcomed oh-so-cheerful. And before she knew it, she was surrounded.

"Daphne did he kiss you?" Millicent inquired expectantly.

Pansy and Tracey were bombing her with question to which she didn't even pay attention to.

She dragged herself to the couch, where she sank unceremoniously.

Draco sat in front of her, silent. Theodore was looking at her from the other side of the couch.

It had been a day. A long day. She needed to ponder things on her own, to mull over the reason why he dazzled. He had this sort of dirty trick on him, this nice guy attitude of his, no, it wasn't an attitude, he was actually a perfect gentleman, a caring person. Idiot. Like that was going to lead him far in life. Oh, it was also about his looks. His precise features, his prominent cheekbones, his straight nose… and how not to mention his pale pink complexion? It was just so different from her standard boy. Oh, and the rosy blush which never abandoned his cheeks? And his full, edible lips? And, and, his messy, soft, bronze hair! And oh. There was a thing about Cedric Diggory that absolutely utterly knocked her out. What was it with his eyes?! Those absurd eyes that made absolutely no sense. They were, what had she called them?

_Sea blue, like, the dark blue __colour the sea has when the sky is clouded and the water surface looks cold and leaden._

Oh for Salazar's sake. What was enough was enough. Through her whole isolation session on the couch, she had been asked about the details of her Hogsmeade date a billion times.

And Draco was still sitting and staring, not a word coming out of his perfect mouth.

He seemed satisfied, though. Clear. Her dearest Draco Malfoy was toying with her just as much as she was with Huffle-stuff.

"Guys, seriously, not now, I am intoxicated with good feelings. I need to shake this off; I'll tell you everything tomorrow." She forgot her coat and scarf on the couch and stormed to the dorm, leaving shocked faces behind her in the common room.

What was wrong with her. Just what in the name of Merlin, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, The Dark Lord and all that jazz was wrong with her.

Entering the bathroom she shared with Tracey and Pansy the first thing she did was washing her face. With the cold water splashing on her over-warmed cheeks she felt as if her mind was back to work. Good.

Daphne stretched an arm to take the towel, which, to her surprise was not where it was supposed to be. She turned and found it, cursing silently her roommates for their lack of order.

The Slytherin girl took a moment to inspect her reflection in the green framed mirror.

Her fringe was dripping drops of water. Her features were as perfect as usual. Her skin had lost the tanned color of the summer, and was drifting to her usual pale-yellowish complexion, clear sign of her anemia.

That was the inconvenient of getting married between pure-bloods; she _knew_ sooner or later they'd all get sick with genetic diseases or something. The anemia in her family was just a first sign of where it was going.

She dried her fringe with a quick movement of her wand. The ever so useful charm taught her by Tracey, aww.

There was something different in her face, though. With the colors or something. Not her eyes, they were as dark as usual. Not her lips, they were pale as usual in winter. Daphne bended towards the mirror and turned her face left, right, left again.

Her cheeks.

Her cheeks were as rosy as his.

"FUCKING DIGGORY, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She was sure he had heard her, her screaming couldn't have gone unnoticed or unheard by anyone.

"Day, Day, Day" she heard a voice behind her.

"What now, Blaise. Didn't I tell you I wanted to be left alone?" she asked without even turning to look at him.

"Actually, no, Daph, you just dashed out of the common room."

"True." She went out of the bathroom and lied beside him on her bed.

"What are you up to, Day. Just what are you up to." he asked her friend.

Daphne feigned ignorance and indifference. "Excuse me?"

Blaise pulled a lock of her long dark hair, making her jump and squeak. "Your cheeks are flushed, Daphne. And you just cursed poor Diggory at the top of your lungs. Now, I don't think he tried something on you, so tell me, what's wrong?"

"Crap" she muttered. Was she this readable? Her father would be oh so disappointed.

Blaise sighed. "Fine. Keep your crush on Diggory from your supposed to be best friend."

She hit him hard on the shoulder. "I don't have a crush on that Huffle-stuff." He nodded "I don't want to repeat it, Blaise."

He stood up, and fixed his shirt and his sleeveless jumper. "You're free to have crushes, to fall in love, to play with whoever you want, Daphne, just until it doesn't get like with Theodore. I couldn't stand seeing you like that again, and I'm sure that Draco thinks alike, in spite of his careless attitude. We were the ones to pick up the pieces that summer, and I swore I wouldn't have let you go back to anything like that ever again."

Daphne was staring at him blankly. She was glad of this profession of friendship Blaise was giving her, but really, did he have to mention what had happened with Nott just like this? She clutched her fists on the black blankets of her bed, until her knuckles were white and her fingers hurt.

Theodore Nott.

Blaise kissed her forehead. "Now go and get out of here" her friend combed with his finger the stray locks of her fringe "Go get Roger and snog him senseless, or take a cloak and go to the Astronomy tower, or do you want me to come with you, or don't know, seriously Daphne, I know I am not making sense, but do anything but stay here. The others down in the common room are waiting to eat you alive. They want the naughty details." He added, smirking.

"But there are NO naughty details! It was Hogsmeade!"

"Go convince them" he chuckled.

Daphne didn't know how she had managed to go out from the common room. She truly had no idea. She only knew she'd have to thank Draco and Blaise later.

Maybe even Draco gave a damn about her, that cold manipulative crybaby of a bastard.

Walking down the corridors of Hogwarts without an actual destination, Daphne regretted not having taken her jacket. It was damn cold in that school. So damn cold. And she felt awful, inside and outside.

Random boys from various houses gave her dreamy looks as she passed them, her high neck black jumper, on whose shade her dark hair got lost, made her look like one of those witches in the magazines Pansy read.

Blaise was right when he said that her _fan club_was just another stimulus to her vanity; not that she had ever denied being vain. But now, after two months of absurd and annoying chase, the crowd, as Draco Malfoy called it, had bored her out of her mind. But in that moment the stares and the attentions were helping to make her feel better. The girl decided it was fair to award such faithfulness somehow; she flashed them a quick, fake smile, which was apparently enough to keep them satisfied.

But they were not the reason why she was walking from shadow to shadow, throwing quick glares around, inspecting the area, to avoid any possible trace of HIM.

She spotted Roger Davies flirting with some fifth year chick, and with just a glance the Slytherin witch had him following her to the dungeon, where she turned and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him like there was no tomorrow. Roger happily kissed her back, without the smallest trace of complaint. He knew she was going back to him, he knew that Cedric Diggory, in all his glorious beauty and perfection couldn't steal her from him.

Yes, Daphne thought while kissing him, nothing was wrong with her, it had been just a moment of weakness. She HAD spent an enjoyable day with a truly handsome boy, after all. Nothing more, nothing less.

Nothing was wrong, she tried to convince herself. Nothing was wrong, she repeated herself, while Roger's tongue caressed hers, and her open eyes stared at the rough stone of her dungeon.

Cedric cursed under his breath. Why, just why had he come looking for her. What in the name of Merlin possessed him to make him go all the way to the dungeon, and why, just why did he have to catch her and Davies making out, her and Davies of all people. Did their day together mean nothing at all to her? Blimey. It was _him_ who had crossed the border. It was him who had thought about something more than the bet he had been flung onto by Wayne and the others.

Then, then Cedric Diggory did something that had very little to do with Cedric Diggory.

When his fist hit the rough stone of the dungeon, he promised to himself that he was going to win that stupid bet.


	19. Chapter 19

_CIAO! Finally I'm on holiday. Yu hu. I'm writing a lot. And reading a lot. So here's the first of MANY updates!_

_Thank you to everyone who read, and to Shmeg23 for reviewing. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and as usual, let me know!_

_baci_

_Giulia_

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19. WAKING UP TOO EARLY IS UNHEALTHY

Outside it was still pitch black when she opened her eyes for the hundredth time.

Sighing, Daphne kicked the black bedclothes and blankets far from her, and stood lazily up, teasing the long sleeves of her green and black striped pajamas. She looked for her socks (not an easy task looking for something black in the darkness), and, when after a couple of minutes there was still no trace of them, the girl grabbed her wand. "_Accio socks_" she whispered between yawns, while the socks fell precisely in her hand. Sometimes Daphne felt so damn stupid using magic for such small things.

She looked at the clock. Great, it was Sunday and she had woken up at 7 am. Congratulations, Miss Greengrass. You'll be a ghost for the rest of the day. For the rest of the week, likely.

Okay. What to do now?

Sighing, Daphne grabbed her towel and some clean clothes and headed to the fifth floor, her feet dragging her idly through the obviously dark and deserted corridors, destination prefects' bathroom. Glory to Adrian Pucey for spreading the password in Slytherin. The insane hour was not the only reason for the lack of people around; that day was the first day of holiday.

"_Ferae naturae_" she mouthed, a hand on the lock which opened itself with a pop.

No light entered from the three huge gothic windows, but the pale glow of she didn't know how many candles was more then enough for her to undress and splash the hot water and not enough to wake up the glass mermaid. The room was warm and cozy, and the perfume of her bathing foam (flowers of cherry and cream, an expensive soft soap that Aunt Eliana sent her every few months from Milano) filled her nostrils, giving her limbs a little rest after a sleepless night.

She had dreamt a lot and slept very little, last night. She had dreamt of many stupid things.

The night in which they had slept in the Great Hall had opened her crazed dream session.

Now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall having even spotted Cedric Diggory that night. As a matter of fact, she didn't even look for Cedric Diggory. He wasn't annoying her to no end yet. But in her dream, in her Salazar's forsaken dream, he was the one patrolling the Slytherin side to ensure that they weren't breaking curfew, _together with Roger Davies._With Roger-jealous-out-of-his-mind-Davies. Ha ha. That, Daphne pondered while burying her head under the foam and the water, was a dull mechanism of her twisted pathological mind to induce her to feel some kind of guilt because of the way she treated Davies and Diggory.

Yes.

Oh yes.

She felt so very sorry. So sorry, seriously.

She hoped that her mind would buy it.

The Slytherin emerged from the water, her hair filled with bubbles.

And then Theodore. Stupid Blaise, stupid fucking Blaise, may Salazar grab him and shove him into a cleft burning with hell's flames. He just _had_ to remind her, didn't he?

Theodore Nott.

Since they had split up last July, he found immensely amusing treating her like some kind of little china doll, which, she had to say it, she found rather annoying. But he obviously didn't care at all; Theodore Alden Nott always did just and only what he wanted, not giving a damn about others. He was a Slytherin. Even when they were together, he spent more time in bed with other girls than with her; he was made this way, and she knew it before she accepted to be his girlfriend (accepted…as if he had given her the chance to refuse him when one year ago he had dragged her, while both Firewhisky dead-drunk, in the Room of Requirement. And all he managed to do to repair to the 'damage done', as Blaise had defined it, was asking her to get together officially. How to say no after she had been with him for her first time, and how to say no to _him_, always used to hear nothing but _yes_to his demands?). But then she had found him with Mandy Brocklehurst, bloody Ravenclaw bitch. And she had not reacted at all. And two days later she had began throwing furniture and books from one side to the other of the room until Millicent and Tracey (Pansy was actually too weak to stop her) had blocked her arms behind her back and Millicent had shouted at her that there was no reason to be so bloody mad. Men were animals and thus they behaved, and consequently the only solution was treating them as such. She had kind of calmed down at those words shouted with rage and anger, but then the real curse had come along. And she had become the way she was.

Washing her hair, she thought about the third and luckily final dream she had. It hadn't been a bad dream, not like a nightmare at least. But she clearly was not interested in dreaming such things. Daphne had no intention to re-live Diggory moments. And surely she had no intention to re-live Cedric Diggory moments she had missed while in the hospital wing. She could care less about dreaming of the stupid Quidditch match she had missed, in which he had won over Scarhead Potter and his pathetic Gryffindor fellows. She didn't need zooming on his Quidditch-refined muscles, nor on his (again) full lips, nor on those (again) incredible eyes. She bloody knew he was handsome and all that stuff. Daphne Greengrass couldn't stand the thought of Diggory. Not anymore, at least.

Drying her hair with her wand and wearing the random jeans and black hooded sweater, the Slytherin girl found herself craving coffee. She looked at the massive stone clock carved into the wall. Only 7:30?!

No way. She needed coffee, a lot of coffee, and she needed it in that very moment.

Letting her hair down, she put on the hood, finding comfort in that dark, warm barrier that separated her from the world. Not that there was anyone around she needed to be separated from, at the moment.

Breakfast wouldn't be served before 8. But she wanted breakfast _now_.

While passing the corridor leading to the great hall, the girl noticed some students waiting to leave, coat on and trunk ready. Tomorrow she would have left through Flew-powder, she didn't know whether for Italy or for Greengrass Manor, West Yorkshire. The thought of landing precisely in her father's studio sickened her.

Her father.

Here was another black mark.

He always asked her to go home for holidays, but she usually found ways to avoid it, in spite of her wish to spend a little time with Federico. Oh and Astoria, of course. She knew the reasons that pushed Lord Greengrass to be so persistent, but she honestly didn't crave for a grim looking black tattoo on her forearm at her age. Not that she wanted it at all, but had she any other option? Sooner or later she was going to be marked, and she actually didn't care all that much. For her one side was like the other, she just didn't want to be caught in between.

Heading to the kitchen with her hands in her pockets, Daphne felt better. She didn't have much to prepare for the following week (her mother couldn't stand the way she dressed out of Greengrass Manor, and consequently Daphne had a whole closet of lady-like robes and dresses waiting for her in that dark mansion. She honestly wished they would go to Italy.), meaning she could simply disappear for the whole day in the library, where no one would have looked for her. Such were the advantages of having illiterate friends. Well, not actually illiterate, but friends with unresolved anti-Muggles issues.

That stupid corridor was getting her back to the nervous state she had been in until before the bath. As she walked down the food-pictures covered walls, and she went down the stone steps to enter the daylight-like lit broad stone corridor, she honestly couldn't think of anything else but how much she hated it. That stupid corridor lead to the Hufflepuff common room, too.

"Morning" she said to no one in particular entering the enormous kitchen, equal in size to the Great Hall and with ceilings just as high. Something like a hundred house-elves was already at work, and Daphne did feel out of place, as if she was just getting in the way.

Hell, no. She was Daphne Greengrass, she paid for the fees of being in that damned boarding school, if she wanted a damned coffee she had to get it.

Her hands on her hips, with a rather commanding tone, she spoke aloud, again to no one in particular. "Is it possible to get a mug of coffee?"

The house_-_elf closer to her nodded and muttered something she couldn't quite catch, and hurried to get a mug.

"Bossy already before breakfast, Daphne Greengrass?"

Obvious. Crystal clear. Who could she run into, at 7:45 am, when all the people of the school with a little common sense were still sleeping?

"Good morning sunshine" she replied with voice dripping irony, clearly annoyed, but flashing him a charming smile.

"Did you find Davies, yesterday night? Heard he was looking for you- or the other way round, maybe" Cedric Diggory asked casually, sipping something from a bright yellow cup.

He looked completely relaxed and rested. And handsome. She stared at him, eyes wide.

The hell. Salazar's sake, was he just being sarcastic? Was he trying to hint that he had…

Ooooh shit. He had seen her with Davies the night before. No good, Daphne. Definitely no good.

When the house elf came back with a green mug, she nodded as a thank you, making him snigger.

She was Daphne Greengrass, and it was not of any concern to idiotic Hufflepuffs who she made out with in dark alleys.

Shit, Cedric Diggory had seen her.

Realizing she was taking a certain time to reply, she pretended not to have heard him. "Sorry, you were saying? I wasn't quite listening, you know…"

Cedric nodded and placed the yellow mug on the closes table he could find. "Of course you didn't Daphne. Maybe you should take off that hood, we're not in a Quidditch field, and it's not this cold here."

Irritated by that comment, she removed the hood with impatience, and combed her long hair with the fingers of her right hand.

"What are you doing up so early, Diggory?" she asked, drinking her coffee. Damn, too little sugar.

"Felt like flying. Why?" he asked, surprised of the sudden attempt at making conversation on Daphne's side. Honestly, after what he had witnessed the night before, he didn't feel much like spending time chit-chatting with her. The night before had actually pissed him.

They had had such a _great_ day, and she just had to go snog some other bloke when he was being so idiotic, after having thought that she was actually lingering on the goodbyes, so idiotic as to go look for her.

Daphne placed the mug in the small greenish hands of an elf nearby.

"Flying. Awesome, I'm coming with you" she chirped venomously.


	20. Chapter 20

_Yeee chapter 20. Basically, thank you to elenamindollin, you help me a lot ____ and thanks to __Shmeg23__, and to everyone who showed their appreciation or even just read. _

_Enjoy the chapter!_

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20. FALLING HARDER

Daphne entered the Slytherin dominion in silence. To her utmost surprise, not only the common room was deserted, but both Tracey and Pansy were still sound asleep. Well, that was for the best. Stupid Slytherin mates would not bother her for once, and she had time to think about ways to make Diggory fall from his broom and make it look like an accident.

She quickly put on her black, warm sleeveless down jacket, wrapped herself in her long green and black scarf, and grabbing her gloves and hat rushed out of the room, leaving the bed undone and a mess in her closet. She hurried back in the room, giving a last worried look at the mirror. Okay being in a hurry, but nothing justified a Slytherin for being careless of their looks. Salazar forbid.

The Slytherin girl stopped while still staring at the way her long hair fell on her shoulders, fixing the locks of her fringe so that they would escape casually from under the hat. She _knew_ she looked good. And it was only Cedric Diggory waiting for her downstairs. _The_ Cedric Diggory she was planning to cover in shame to death within minutes. If he was waiting for her at all, otherwise she just would have to scream something along the lines of '_Accio Cedric Diggory'_, regardless if he fell from 15 meters or something. Which would just be another way of achieving her goal. This extra precaution on her looks when she had to meet the spineless son of Amos-I-love-the-Ministry-Diggory made her pissed at herself. Honestly, Daphne.

Striking her already elegant walk, she passed students on their way to the floo powder net, or to portkeys, or simply to the main entrance where their parents would be waiting for them.

She froze abruptly in the middle of the crowded corridor. Head in the clouds, Daphne, for Salazar's sake, do wake up!

While getting ready for her flight session with _monsieur _ Cedric Diggory, she had forgotten a tiny, tiny particular. Her broom. She felt too lazy and eager to see him to go back to the dormitory, which made Daphne decide to wait to see if the spineless Huffle-stuff was even there at all. She was good at _Accio_-ing things. She will try to be careless when _Accio_-ing Monsieur Diggory.

She had plans for the day. She needed to clear her mind from the insane thoughts that wandered like shadows in a lone valley. Hello, is there anybody out there?

And there he was. She had recognized his yellow and black scarf (a crime against fashion, as Blaise defined it), and his unmistakable messy bronze hair. But… shithe.

_Cho Chang_.

Ha, ha, ha. Awesome, now she'd have to transfigure her into some vapid Forbidden Forest inhabitant. An earthworm maybe. Earthworms were not exactly _typical_ creatures of the Forbidden Forest, but hey, that should do for Cho-Demented-Chang. Luckily for Cho, she left before Daphne could storm upon her. What 

did the Ravenclaw want? Stupid Ravenclaw. Stupid Ravenclaws, with plural. Stupid useless House, even more useless than Hufflepuff. One day she was going to get a saying on that matter, and, if it depended on her, that retarded old Hat would go get dusty and torn somewhere random and forgotten, and Hogwarts pupils would be chosen with _criteria_. To hell with dimwitted know-it-alls and spineless patient wannabe-wizards. Stupid Ravenclaw. Cedric Diggory was _hers_. She didn't care about the after, but at the moment Cedric Diggory was _hers_, regardless if he knew it or not.

She kept on walking with a steady pace to the boy.

What now? Someone else had approached the boy.

And a grin formed on the almost-perfect lips of the Greengrass girl.

Amos Diggory.

As her grin grew larger, incoherent thoughts rose to the surface of her stormy mind. She was going to do something idiotic. Something hopelessly idiotic. Something exquisitely idiotic.

She dashed towards the Diggorys.

Now, Daphne hated acting on impulse. But sometimes impulsiveness could lead to definitely amusing and unexpected twists and turns on the plot.

"Ced!" she exclaimed happily, and again, like the day before, hers was a partially true reaction. Sure, the loving look she had in her eyes when Cedric turned to look at her was more than 100 fake, but that was not the point. She didn't actually hate the sight of Cedric Diggory. It reminded her of a Muggle song. Whatever.

The boy looked puzzled. He had recognized the voice, he had recognized the girl by his side, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder who this girl was. Did someone drink some Polyjuice Potion to look like Daphne Greengrass? The Slytherin Princess would never call him by name, and she surely would not look this loving, or say his name like this. Yes, well, the day before she had called him _Cedric_ (he still shivered pleasantly yet unpleasantly at the memory), but that was basically because she was a manipulative little thing. Ced. Woah.

"Daphne?" he replied, tilting his head questioningly to the side.

As a reply, she threw her hands around him and kissed him on the cheek.

Cedric got lost. The conversation with his father was long forgotten, like the very presence of the older Diggory.

The Hufflepuff Seeker did not understand what was going on. Had Daphne Greengrass just _kissed_ him on the cheek? And _why _was she still _hugging _him?

"Ced" she repeated, studying the extremely amusing reaction of the boy "I've been looking _everywhere_ for you." Her eyes were locked on his. She shook her head as if to move hair from her eyes, but the Slytherin was actually breaking the spell she was falling for, like every time she happened to stare straight into those orbs of an undefined color.



"You…what?" He was completely, genuinely, utterly clueless. They had met not more than a twenty minutes ago. And even though she had self-invited herself to join his solo flight, they had nothing planned. Daphne was undergoing an extreme struggle not to laugh right at his face.

"We were to meet! You had _promised_ you would take me for a flight before I went home!" she exclaimed outraged, wearing the cutest pout she could manage. Daphne Greengrass was a fake. Her gestures, her expressions, everything was played and re-played times and times again in front of a mirror, until she reached a satisfactory result. She found it extremely fun, whenever she could trick others with her acting skills. She was oh so convincing, which made her efforts worth it, from first to last.

Only then did the tall Hufflepuff boy realize that they were still locked in a tight embrace, her arms around him, and, surprisingly, his arms holding her back. Not to mention…oh _blimey_.

A very speechless Amos Diggory stared at the scene open-mouthed. He removed his hat, and, scratching his forehead, took a moment more to study the charmingly pretty girl glued to his son.

Cedric panicked. "Father, I can, I can, euhm, I can explain…" he stuttered blushing furiously, letting go clumsily of Daphne, who eyed him threateningly.

She placed with another studied slow gesture a lock of hair behind her ear, and turned to face Mister Diggory.

She flashed him a smile, which made him wonder if, in spite of the dark hair and dark eyes, she was part Veela.

"Mister Diggory, I'm so very sorry, it was so rude of me to interrupt your conversation. I'm Daphne Greenrass." She moved her head to the side, and let the older man shake her hand.

Amos Diggory, whose expression had gone from one of utter dismay to one of understanding, passing from one of complicity towards his son who had apparently caught such a lovely girl to be his girlfriend (not that he expected anything else from and for his beloved Cedric, and not that he expected his handsomest son to tell him), smiled back politely. Greengrass.

"Greengrass…like sir Dorian Greengrass, of Greengrass Manor?"

The girl nodded. Amos Diggory was sincerely impressed.

"My pleasure, Daphne. And you are…Cedric's…girlfriend, I suppose…" his gaze passed from her to Cedric, who was by then sinking into a sea of uncertainties and misunderstandings, staring back blankly at both. This girlfriend question made him jolt, though, and his eyes fell on Daphne, who was behaving like the perfect little lady Greengrass she was, smiling shyly and whispering in embarrassment a soft 'yes'.

Sure. She was his girlfriend. Sure. Well she was a girl, that was for sure. But the _friend_ part, well, she guessed it just depended who you asked.

His eyes went wide. Cedric Diggory was not stupid, not at all. What on Merlin's pants was wrong with Daphne?! Saying such nonsense right before the Christmas holidays! If they were lucky they would end up sharing nearby seats during the formal dinners of the Ministry, or being glued to dance together at some wealthy pureblood family, but if he knew his father, and he DID know him, they were more likely going to 

be engaged to be married. A cold shiver ran through his back. A lifetime with Daphne? No, with Daphne _and her lovers_. Merlin. No.

He was desperately trying to figure out a way to explain to his father that NO, Daphne Greengrass was not his girlfriend, she had just been trying to make his life a living hell since he had _unwillingly_ knocked her out on the floor of the corridor in front of the Great Hall that day of September…but Amos' touch on his arm brought him back to reality.

"Ced Ced Ced" said his father with a smirk "How long were you planning to keep her secret, Ced?"

Cedric didn't really think about his reply. He hugged the girl, passing an arm around her shoulders and shooting her a loving glare, just as good as hers. Daphne's eyes went wide. Woah. Talk about pretty eyes.

"Just enough to make sure I have her for real, dad" he smiled, his sarcasm lost on his father. That Muggle song filled Daphne's mind again, before she realized that Cedric Diggory was playing with her, too. Great, she thought. This would end up with an engagement. Just great.

"Treat her right, she's so pretty" he said, as if Daphne wasn't there. "I'm leaving you to your goodbyes, I need to fix a few things with Dumbledore. You know, about that Ippogryph- what an awful situation."

Cedric nodded.

"I hope I'll see you again very soon, Daphne. Maybe you could come over for Christmas. Wouldn't it be brilliant, Ced?"

Cedric sighed. "Yes, dad, brilliant."

"I will see you at the Ministry ball anyways, Mister Diggory" Daphne smiled satisfied. The old Diggory was hers.

"Merry Christmas to you and your family, just in case we won't meet, Daphne. Pass my hello to sir Dorian, won't you?" Cedric was staring at his father, who was still shaking Daphne's hand.

The girl nodded again, and the man left for Dumbledore's office.

As soon as he was out of sight, Cedric and Daphne stared at each other.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" he exclaimed just in the same time as she burst into laughter.

"Sorry, sorry, Huffle-stuff, I couldn't help it" Daphne said through laughter. After this, even falling off his broom from 15 meters could not have damaged him just as much! But had he just raised his voice? Interesting, interesting.

"Yeah, we'll end up engaged to be married, I tell you" he muttered, passing a hand through his hair, evidently worried.

"Oh but _Cedric_, love, I wouldn't really mind" she chuckled as Cedric stared at her puzzled. "Why, wouldn't you be happy with me, _amore mio_? I am so pretty, as your father just said, and I have _billions_ of other qualities which will make our married life pleasant." She said still laughing. Cedric just kept on staring. Qualities to make a married life pleasant? No, he did not want to think about that.



The Slytherin's laughter died all of a sudden. She seemed pretty disappointed.

"I guess we won't go flying together today, will we, Diggory?" she pouted. Cedric was beginning to understand her. There were times in which her expressions, her smiles our pouts, reached her eyes, and times in which they didn't. Looking at her intensely, he was sure that she was really disappointed. But why?

"Yes, my father said we need to hurry home. Merlin, won't I be happy when I'll have that Apparation exam passed."

Daphne nodded in agreement. She knew the feeling. But the Diggory-less day seemed now much less appealing. She might consider going home in advance, too.

"I _did_ want to go flying" she said, more to herself than to him, arms crossed and a thoughtful look.

"You can always go with Davies" he spat out, making her blink a couple of times. Wow. She was rubbing off on Cedric Diggory. In a bad sense.

She didn't reply to that one. The thought of her alone with Davies when she had planned to be alone with Diggory sickened her.

Was she getting tired of the Ravenclaw? Yes, likely so.

The corridor was deserted. Daphne caught the chance to place a quick peck again on his cheek, before dashing away.

"I'll see you soon, Hufflepuff. It's a threat" she stuck out her tongue "And you owe me a flight. So watch your back." she added running past the big wooden door that led to the courtyard, leaving Diggory to place a hand on the spot in which she had kissed him twice in less than ten minutes.

Merlin.

Seeing her during Christmas holidays…that was a real threat.


	21. Chapter 21

21.

No Italy, that winter. It was going to be all Greengrass Manor and the Dark-Lord-knows-who's-Manor and the Ministry and she was stuck and doomed to spend time with Astoria and her mother, who, even without being actually there, had already trapped her in a knee-long black velvet dress with long sleeves and a round neck that exposed her still flat chest. She hated it. Both her chest and the dress.

Her black leather ballerina shoes kicked randomly on the dark green carpet of her father's studio, Daphne had sunk in the massive green suede couch, and was immerged in the reading of _Contes de Nacre et deRubis ._

"Listen to this one, father" she said, turning the page to where the poem she just read started. "C'est l'instant heureux, qui déjà n'est plus, le present réel est douleur, regret; Et toujours la vie vers la mort déflue, L'infini du temps nous tient en ses rets."

Lord Dorian Greengrass lifted his eyes to stare at his oldest daughter.

"Very nice, Daphne. But I'd like it better if you quit reading those filthy Mudblood books, regardless to the flush of genius that happen to hit their inferior minds every now and then."

Daphne nodded. "You're right, father. But still, that flush of genius that every now and then graces Muggles, don't you find it charming? This Baudelaire man, he seems to have _perceived_ that that stuff he writes about exists. He talked about things that are actually _real_. Not for Muggles, of course. But don't you find this, euh, this curse poets are blessed with rather amazing? They _know_. They are slightly superior to the rest of their stupid race, and they are condemned as fools or are simply misunderstood, if they're lucky. Isn't it amusing?" she hinted at a faint smile.

"Don't mock the condition of those inferior minds, Daphne. It's cruel." Stated the handsome man scribbling something with a big, red quill.

"Yes, father." Daphne replied, before getting lost again in the delirium of that crazed Frenchman she had recently discovered.

"Have you seen your mother yet?" he inquired distractedly.

"No, father. I think she was out somewhere with aunt Narcissa."

"I see."

"When are Astoria and Federico coming home, father?"

"Before noon. Lucius will be here for tea. Don't you have schoolwork, Daphne dear?"

The girl shrugged. To hell with homework. This was a pathetic excuse to make her leave the room. She decided to stay until he explicitly asked her to leave. The last time she had seen her father had been while still in school, when he had broken into the infirmary wing. She had misbehaved then, but when she kept quiet and vague, and addressed him the way he wanted her to, a civil relationship on acquaintances terms with Lord Dorian was possible.

Her father was a handsome man, and strict and severe as much as he was handsome. Longish dark hair fell in straight locks that covered his forehead and went past his neck. His eyes were black, and Daphne often 

wondered how it was possible for someone to have black eyes. Did he charm them? He was the only person in the world she knew with black eyes. Dorian Greengrass was very young; he had married Lucrezia Da Carrara the very summer of his graduation from Hogwarts. Theirs was an arranged wedding, but Daphne thought that it was a lucky case. He seemed to adore the very ground on which his wife walked, and Lucrezia, Daphne had noticed growing up, had a sort of special smile and a look that she flashed to her husband, and only to him, which lit on her features and stoic Dorian Greengrass simply couldn't resist.

Wow. Seen like this they seemed a very loving family. But if one scratched under the surface… can a couple of Death Eaters raise a loving family? She longed for her dorm, for the library, for the Common Room, for the dungeon. For everywhere, anywhere but Greengrass Manor.

All Daphne knew was that she was kind of alright with seeing her mother for less than a month a year. And the same went with her father. The less, the better. If only she could avoid Astoria as much as she avoided her parents…stupid girl with no mind or ideas of her own.

The door opened, and a beautiful lady with dark hair and stunning chocolate eyes entered the room.

"'Rezia" lord Greengrass said.

"Mamma" Daphne stood up and walked to her mother, letting her hug her.

"Daphne, cara" her mother hugged her and kissed her three times on the cheeks, in the Venetian fashion. Physical contact disgusted Daphne, no matter who she came in contact with. "Sei cresciuta? You look taller to me, than last time. Taller, and thinner. Do they feed you, in Hogwarts?"

"Si, mamma" Daphne replied, her mind wandering back to the dreadful food poisoning experience. Bloody house-elves. And no one had done anything to them yet. She would have to take care of it by herself.

"Bene, Daphne cara. Don't cover your face with hair, what are you ashamed of. Astoria never has her forehead covered." Lucrezia placed the locks of her daughter's fringe behind the small ears, not hiding a disgusted grimace when she noticed the third pair of earrings on Daphne's lobes. She put a hand under her chin and raised it, the girl almost imploding with nervous. "Keep your posture elegant, Daphne. You don't want to look like an house-elf. Speaking of which" she let go of her daughter and placed her hands on Lord Greengrass' desktop "Dorian, we should really do something about those house-elves of ours. Those…things they wear are dreadful, really. Can't we just give them something more decent?" she pleaded.

Dorian and Daphne stared at her mother as if she was crazy.

"Lucrezia, giving the house-elves clothes to wear?" the man repeated, astonished. "So they can happily claim their freedom?"

"Well, can't we just, euhm, non saprei, drop some clothes here and there? They might wear them, Dorian. I don't want Cissy and Lucius to see such a revolting sight. And they _stink_, Dorian."

This was one of the times she wanted to seal her mother's mouth with a charm. And she knew that her father was thinking the same.

"Lucrezia, this is nonsense. Those are house-elves. Servants, my dearest. Servants." The man shook his head, passing a hand through his hair to comb them.



Daphne's heart jumped at the sight, but she quickly sent it back to place. Diggory. The blasted Hufflepuff.

"But _Dorian…_"

_The _look. Her father swallowed hard.

"As you wish, Rezia, as you wish. I know you'll take good care of this." He sighed, sitting again and going back to his paperwork.

As she watched her mother smile triumphantly, Daphne couldn't help but feel that a considerable amount of respect for her father had gone. Vanished into thin air. He was a bossy ass only with her, huh? Awesome. An _Avada Kedavra_ and a hug, that was her father.

"Vieni, Daphne. Let your father work." Her mother headed to the door, making her sign to follow her with the hand.

There was something wrong with her mother. Something weird. Something plain wrong. And not sarcastically. But Daphne couldn't quite catch what.

The Slytherin girl slipped on her ballerina shoes and followed her mother, closing the studio's door behind her.

Lucrezia made her daughter seat in the living room, and asked an house-elf to bring some pumpkin juice for the girl and a glass of pinot grigio for her.

"How are things with Theodore, Daphne?" her mother asked her distractedly sipping her wine.

Daphne gave her a weird look. "We broke up last summer, mamma."

"Oh." Lucrezia seemed lost for a few moments, maybe thinking back to something happened long ago, when she was a schoolgirl. "And are you dating someone else, cara?"

"No, mamma." Daphne could see where this was going. But she didn't care much, busy as she was in studying her mother's figure for that particular that she couldn't quite grasp yet but made the whole picture look different.

"And are you interested in someone?" the lady dropped casually.

"No, mamma."

"I see." Her mother sipped some more wine.

A painted portrait of Daphne on the wall, a wizard one, made silently sign to the flesh-and-bones Daphne to look at the photography framed beside it on the wall.

The girl followed with the eyes, and found a photo of her mother and father with Daphne, Federico and Astoria sitting at their feet. That had been taken last summer, before her and her siblings left Italy for school.

Her mother was wearing a white dress, which made her Italian skin look darker. Her mother was pale, right now, as she sat on the pink damask couch, her body dressed in exquisite thick dark green silk. But it wasn't the dark color of the dress that made her look pale. She was white. Whiter than her father, whiter than that 

Sanguini vampire that she had once spotted in Honeydukes while buying those blood-tasting candies. And her cheeks, smooth and rosy in the picture, were so lifeless and empty as the girl stared at the real Lucrezia. Just what was happening to her mother? She seemed ill.

"Daphne, I should be grateful if you stopped staring at me, mia cara."

Daphne jumped, and apologized quickly to her mother, saying something about head on the clouds or something.

"What about Cedric, tesoro?"

Once again, she jumped at her mother's words. "Ce…dric, mamma?" Daphne stuttered.

"Cedric, Daphne, the young Diggory. Cissa told me he is very handsome, and such a talented little wizard. He is not on our same social level though, what a shame. "

Lady Greengrass held a few letters in her hands. The Slytherin girl knew very well those kind of glossy envelopes, with shiny cards on the inside. Invitations to parties and balls, most likely.

Her mother handed her a letter rather different from the rest.

"We have mail from Miss Diggory, Daphne."


	22. Chapter 22

Here i am once again! So! Before moving on to the chapter, i'd like to thank you Shmeg23 fo reviewing and everyone else for reading :) e adesso, let's ease some tension after that sort-of-a-cliffhanger... chapter 22!

22. PANIC ATTACK

Daphne panicked while she jumped on her feet for the surprise.

"Shit. Shit shit shit." She exclaimed while frantically working on opening the envelope.

"Daphne Greengrass! I will not tolerate such language in my house, young lady!" her mother exclaimed halfway between shocked and disappointed, covering her mouth with a small pale hand to underline her indignation.

"Scusami, mamma. Merda."

"Daphne!"

"Sorry."

Her fingers trembled, and she was taking an ignominious long time to open the blasted envelope. Did she really push it too far, with that stupid drama she had played the day before?! Cedric had actually scolded her for that reason. Oh merda.

With the paper finally in her hands, her eyes ran on the lines written with the precise calligraphy of Miss Diggory.

She fell on the couch, feeling suddenly exhausted; she handed the letter to her mother.

"It's the invitation to the Ministry Christmas ball and New Year's Eve Concert. Oh thank you Salazar." The girl sighed contented.

Her mother looked at her strangely, shaking her head. "Of course it is, Daphne, don't you see the Ministry's seal on the envelope? Mio Dio Daphne, you seem to forget your manners whenever you go to that school. I'll have to ask Cissa if Draco undergoes the same."

Staring at the envelope on the floor idly, Daphne bit her lip hard. Damn. The red seal of the Ministry. Ha ha. But her mother had said mail from Miss Diggory, not from the Ministry! Yes, wake up Daphne. Diggory's mother worked for the Ministry too. Something having to do with, euh, taking care of events and stuff. But this did not justify her mother! This had been a deliberate attempt at her life!

"Mamma!" two voices screamed all of a sudden.

A young boy and a girl one year younger than Daphne entered the room running.

"Astoria, dearest! Federico!" Lucrezia opened her arms to hug her younger children. "Astoria cara, sei sempre più bella!" she exclaimed hugging her daughter firmly, while Federico, who looked exactly like his father, apart from the eyes and the wavy hair, fell on the couch near Daphne.

"Hag" he nodded to the girl.

"Troll" she nodded back, and stretched her hand to ruffle his hair. One fine little gentleman of a brother he was.

"Mamma! Daphne called Fed a troll!" Astoria's voice pierced Daphne's ears.

"Mamma, Asty made my ears bleed!" Federico complained in the same high pitched voice of the sister.

"Ragazzi, buoni."

"Si mamma." The three Greengrass siblings replied in a monotone voice.

"Ohu Daph, I just have to show you this thingy I was taught." Federico jumped to his feet, his wand in his hand.

"Put away that wand this instant, Federico Adam Greengrass. You don't want me to repeat it." Lady Lucrezia was not exactly your average maternal figure. She was a lady. A real lady. And her children had grown up between grandmothers, aunts, with nannies and housekeepers, since she had always been too busy or too physically weak to look after them.

"Now go get ready for lunch, children. And Daphne, Astoria, remember we have Narcissa, Lucius and Draco for tea today." Their mother disappeared from the living room, probably gone taking care of the house-elves problem.

Astoria abandoned herself on the now empty couch. "Draco" she sighed. "Daph, do you think mamma and father could arrange some nice wedding with Draco for me? I mean, I know you are way closer to him, but still… wouldn't it be great, huh, Daph?"

Daphne clapped her hand and put on a not so heartfelt smile. "Yes, Asty, it would be just awesome! Wouldn't it Fed?"

Federico imitated his older sister's gestures. "Yes! Maybe we can get aunt Cissa and uncle Lucius to marry them off like, tomorrow! Wouldn't it be great Daph? Then we can get rid of her!"

"Stupidi!" Astoria shouted dashing out of the room, offended.

Tea with the Malfoys went smoothly as usual. Lucius and Dorian disappeared in lord Greengrass' studio, while in the living room two groups had formed.

Lucrezia, Narcissa and Astoria chatting happily, with Astoria throwing quick, eloquent glances to the blonde boy, and Federico, Daphne and Draco lying idly on the couch.

"Hei, Green" Draco whispered to the older Greengrass girl.

"Hn?" Daphne was rather pissed, for no reason in particular. She needed Draco for herself for a few minutes, but it was going to be impossible that night. She needed to tell him about what was going on with Cedric. Only the fun part, obviously. But she considered dropping hints of her recent confusion.

"Asty won't stop staring" the boy stated, looking back at Astoria. Damn pretty.

"Oh, that." Daphne shrugged. "She is hoping on wedding arrangements."

"She's trying to do like mom and bewitch you with stares" Federico shook his head in disappointment, while playing with a full teacup he was making levitate.

Draco moved his eyes to look at the younger boy. "I see. Well Green, no, not you Fed, Daphne. Do you think we'll have time to talk about _that_?" his brows arched to stress what he was hinting at.

The girl shook her head. "I'll owl you as soon as you leave. Rather interesting stuff going on, Dra. You going to the Ball, on Christmas?"

"Ministry? Yeah. Blaise and the others should come, too. Don't know about Pansy and Tracey though. But we're ditching New Year's, father's holding some big thing at our place. You won't miss out on us, will you?"

Daphne shook her head again. "Nopez. And only Milly's going. Pansy is in Thailand, Tracey is just not coming. Lovely. I just hope father won't pair me with Theo. This year I could get suicidal."

Draco nodded understanding. "Well you could always get paired with Diggory" he chuckled, and combed back his silver blonde hair.

Daphne cackled. "Mother wouldn't approve, he's not on our same social level, she said."

"Damn right, aunt Rezia." Draco approved.

Daphne grimaced. "But your mother praised his beauty and his talent with mine. I hope aunt Cissa doesn't want to trick me, Dra."

"Draco, dear, why don't you take Astoria for a walk? The weather's rather mild at the moment." Narcissa called his son.

Daphne's sister was smiling in pure delight.

"This is it" Federico commented, placing the cup back on the small table in the center of the room.

"Enjoy, Draco." Daphne waved at him, as he stood up and offered his arm to the younger Greengrass girl.

"Most certainly, Daphne."

* * *

Et voila! tell me what you think about it :)


	23. Chapter 23

Okay, it took time, but here it is :) and thanks to Shmeg23 (who likes to be reminded XD) and xXBXx!

Enjoy, and leave a comment 3

23. STANDING ON THE ROOFTOPS – WAITING TO FALL

The Ministry Christmas' Eve ball was one of those big events for the whole topnotch of the wizard high society that you simply can't miss.

Countless enchanted candles lit up the main hall of the Ministry, and even the Fountain of Magical Brethren was shining particularly bright. Fake snow was falling from the ceiling and melting in glimmering drops on people's shoulders, making the room looking a lot like Hogwarts' Great Hall in its starry sky version. Christmas trees decorated with glowing ruby-red balls and with small ice-like fairies were everywhere, together with garlands and smaller decorations. Long tables constantly filled with appetizers and drinks were pushed against the walls of the hall, making room for the wizards and witches to dance at the music of an 80-pieces orchestra. Daphne hated all of it. With a passion.

And it was not only because she had been trapped in a grey dress that reached her knees, with frilly gray tulle at the bottom, a deep neckline and puffy sleeves and a gray ribbon in her hair that made her feel halfway in between Snow White's evil queen and she didn't know what, no, it was not because of those Salazar forsaken ballerina shoes she was wearing that were giving her hell, it was not because of the loud squeals her sister dressed in red gave whenever she laid eyes on some handsome wealthy pureblood, and not because of her mother, who looked like a model, like a queen, like a Veela, and Daphne hated her for this, and not because Lady Greengrass kept on pushing the fringe away from Daphne's forehead. No. It was because of all that, plus an incredible number of other reasons.

Theodore dancing with some random girl, glimpses of Huffle-stuff and long black hair, and a sense of bore that went way beyond tedium.

She felt like Stunning half the people in there, and Avada Kedavra-ing the other half. The Dark Lord surely would have understood her. She couldn't wait till she got home, to pass the time with some more satisfying occupation, alone.

"Signorina" Blaise greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. Daphne had always found immensely amusing the strong English accent that came with Zabini's attempts at Italian.

"Blaise" Daphne sighed cracking a smile, making place for him in the couch she had sunk onto.

"Cheer up little miss Greengrass" Draco and Adrian Pucey had joined them, too.

"Don't I look cheerful enough, Malfoy?" she snorted.

Adrian threw her a Firewhiskey bottle. "Now you do" she looked at him with thankful eyes.

"Cheers" Draco said, before swallowing, followed by the others.

"Come dance, Green" Draco placed the bottle in his pocket while Daphne drank some more, before giving a goodbye look to hers, now in the hands of Zabini.

He took her by the hand and together they walked to the centre of the hall, where the massive amount of people made sure that they could talk without unwanted ears to eavesdrop.

"How did you like my owl, Draco" she said in his ear while dancing a waltz.

"It worried me" he replied in all honesty, making her pirouette.

"How so?" the girl asked, surprised.

"Stupid girl. When I told you about the bet and challenged you to the new one, I did so cos I _knew_ you were not going to get involved. You proved me wrong, Daphne. As awful as it sounds."

The Slytherin girl's features became of stone. "I do not have feelings for Diggory, Draco. Not at all."

He shrugged. "The fact that you deny the charge before knowing exactly what you're charged of is a proof of your guilt, Green."

"Fuck you" she muttered.

"I knew it was you. No other girl swears like you do."

Daphne froze, while Draco eyed the boy behind her with repulsion.

"Sod off, Diggory." The blonde stated.

"Actually, I wanted to ask Daphne to dance. And it seems to me that she's free to accept, if she wants." Cedric arched a brow.

"But she doesn't." Draco's reply was hasty.

Daphne turned to face the Hufflepuff. It was clear to her as she saw him that she shouldn't have. Handsome Cedric Diggory was handsomer Cedric Diggory that night, and he was in front of her.

"Later, Huffle-stuff." She cut short, breaking the awe-like state she was in.

"Later might be too late, Daphne" he said.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was he some kind of Cinderella?

"I said later, Diggory, haven't you heard? I'll come look for you."

"Fine. But don't expect me to follow." He disappeared in the dancing crowd, looking rather disappointed.

Daphne and Draco, perfectly still in the middle of the hall, stared at each other for a few moments before trying to keep up with the rhythm of the waltz.

Draco did not like this, at all.

"Fuck Daphne, when did we lose you?" he swore hard, looking away and pushing her rudely on the shoulder.

"Lose me? What does that mean?!" Daphne made him turn to look at her.

"Yes, you're all flirty with that stupid Hufflepuff Chaser. Hufflepuff, Green! Get a grip on yourself, woman. You're the heir to Greengrass Manor! Didn't you cause trouble enough with Theodore? You want Theodore-part two, now?" he spat out venomously. This crush of Daphne pissed him off more than he thought.

"Theodore-part two?! What the hell are you talking about, Malfoy!" she half screamed, making some heads turn. Unwillingly, she lowered the volume.

"I call off the bet, Green, seriously. This has gone too far."

"Too far? Too far?! But nothing happened! Nothing! It's just you being paranoid over…over…Salazar knows what! And don't you dare calling off just before I won."

He tightened the grip on her hand. "Will you let him shag you and treat you like Theo did?"

The girl did not know what kept her from beating him to a pulp. "Fuck off Malfoy, this is none of your concern. I'm old enough to take care of myself. And for the last time- nothing's on with Diggory." Daphne pushed him away and disappeared in the crowd, leaving Draco to look for Astoria.

Now Daphne wanted to find Cedric. And she wanted to find him _in that very moment_. But apparently, she could not spot any trace of him. Had he really gone Cinderella on her?

And again, the Slytherin saw something she would have never wanted to see.

With her in a lavender Asian dress, dancing slowly one against the other, were Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang. Eyes locked and lost looks on their faces.

She did not know how she kept back the river of curses and bad words that was about to break the dike of her high society behavior. Or was it tears?

Daphne breathed in deeply, and walked with quiet steps to Cedric.

As she grabbed him by the arm, dragging him away, a speechless Cho couldn't help but exclaim a surprised "Cedric!".

"Cho! Wait, Daphne, let go, dammit!" he moved his eyes from one girl to the other, as he tried to pull away unsuccessfully.

"Greengrass! Leave him, now!" Cho was furious. But a furious Cho Chang could not compete against an enraged Daphne Greengrass. She just couldn't.

Daphne stopped and released the grip on Cedric's arm.

She stared at the Asian Ravenclaw girl, and with a polite smile, she spoke in her sweetest voice. "Get lost, Chang. Just get lost."

Then, with just the same calm, she took Cedric gently by the hand and had him following her out of the dancing hall.

"You'll catch your death like this, Daphne" Cedric spoke after a few minutes of silence, while on the roof of the Ministry, a snow-covered London glimmering in the pale moonlight at their feet.

Daphne, bare shoulders and bare legs, was resting her hands on the metallic fence and bending out dangerously, in perfect silence, her hair moving in the cold breeze.

"But wouldn't that be worth it" she replied, careless.

"_Accio Daphne's coat_" he muttered, and his wand disappeared once again in his pocket. The same door they had entered from thanks to an _Alohomora_ opened again, and fell in Cedric's hand. The boy walked to the Slytherin, and placed the black coat on her shoulders, touching her ice-cold skin with his warm hands for less than a second. Only then did Daphne realize she was freezing.

"You still owe me a flight, Diggory" she stated.

"I do." He nodded, not knowing how that piece of information was linked to their current non-conversation.

Another moment of silence. The girl put on the sleeves of her coat, and closed it firmly, tucking the neck so that the she wouldn't wake up with a sore throat the following day.

"With Cho Chang, Huffle-stuff. You were with Cho Chang."

"You were with Draco Malfoy." He replied with her same tone.

"Touchée."

Oh fuck it, Daphne thought.

If Cedric was going to think she was crazy, so be it. If she was going to regret it in the very moment she had done it, so be it. If she was going to burn in hell for her deeds, then so fucking be it.

Cedric was silently standing at her side. In all honesty, he did not miss the warmth of the hall, and he surely did not miss the noises and the confusion of the ball. He had found it amazing the way Daphne had dragged him away from all that, the way she had led him through corridors and staircases and elevators and she had brought him there.

London was at their feet. He could hardly imagine a more romantic sight than its snow covered rooftops at night, and a wonderful girl at his side. Wonderful crazed bossy temperamental moody envious jealous stoic sarcastic venomous ambitious obnoxious cunning vindictive loud Daphne Greengrass.

If he had been any braver, let's say, Gryffindor brave, he would have put his arms around her. But she most likely would have Stunned him and left him there to freeze.

Daphne let go of the fence. With a quick movement, she took off first her left shoe and then the right one.

And she threw them off the roof.

"Daphne! What are you doing?!" he exclaimed shocked.

"Those things were killing me. And I did not like them anyways." Came her reply.

She untied the ribbon from her hair, letting the fringe fall on her forehead.

The ribbon followed the shoes, dancing around in the wind before disappearing in the darkness. Cedric Diggory had no clue what was going on, like most of the time he spent with Daphne Greengrass.

She placed a foot on the fence, and passed it over. The boy panicked. "Daphne come back here. It's dangerous, really."

She shushed him, and sat on the top of the fence, her legs and bare feet dangling in the nothingness. She was feeling great, alive and happy.

"Daphne, for Merlin's sake, come here. I told you it's dangerous. Really. You're scaring me." He put his hands around her waist, and lifted her across the fence, with extreme carefulness.

When she was back on the roof, the Slytherin girl stared at him, pouting. "You're such a bore, Diggory."

He rolled his eyes. He was a bore, just because he did not want to see her fly down…how many stairs? Seven? Eight?

"Are you drunk, Daphne? Seriously." He sounded concerned.

Daphne laughed heartily. "No, Diggory, no, I'm not drunk. Just happy." She smiled and made a step closer to him, grabbing him by the neck of the jacket. Cedric Diggory was petrified. "I don't need to be drunk to kiss you."

"Huh?" he was not sure if he had heard what he thought he had heard.

But her lips on his told him he had heard right. The boy felt suddenly dizzy. He was kissing Daphne Greengrass. No, Daphne Greengrass was kissing him. In a hell of a romantic place, too. His eyes, wide with shock, shut immediately at the sight of her closed ones.

She caressed his lips with hers timidly, tasting him. And he tasted great, she thought. And he smelled great, too, she thought as his perfume filled her nostrils. Cedric Diggory was awesome under every point of view.

She broke the kiss and took a step back, while Cedric, perfectly still, had still his eyes closed and the lips parted. He was so inviting that Daphne couldn't help but lean in and kiss him again.

"Why" he said against her lips as they kept on kissing. Cedric felt her smile. He was damn happy too. But he wanted to know if this time Daphne Greengrass was to trust.

"Because I can" came her reply.

She pushed him closer to herself, refusing to break the kiss again.

And Cedric found himself thinking that, as a matter of fact, he didn't care that much about the reason why either.


	24. Chapter 24

Here's the brand new chapter! I decided I would make a few chapters (3 or some more) focusing on some of the main characters' inner...inner...inner anything actually. This does not mean that the story is going to stop, of course; it will proceed through a different line, and not only from Daphne's perspective. I hope I will be actually able to do what I had in mind, and not make it turn out in a fabulous disaster. So! Seems like you liked the past chapter! Don't know why, but I sort of expected it :) and now on to some special thanks: Shmeg23 (let's not break new found traditions lol), Smilie button S2, xXBXx, SmartSexySlytherclaw (thank you very much, your words did make me smile! hope you keep on liking it!), and the very Mrs elenamindollin, who apparently reads my mind, and detects all my mistakes...thank you for putting me on the right track every now and then! Before i start holding my mouse like an Academy Award and make some soppy speech on how I thank God and my family for their support, it's best we move to the chapter. Salazar bless you all, my lovelies. Lol.

* * *

24. DAPHNE

Alone and thoughtful, the most deserted fields had become Daphne's reign in the very last days of the Christmas holidays. She walked in the muddy paths, kicked random pebbles into the small puddles that the snow had creating melting, the temperature too mild to keep frozen.

The countryside out of Greengrass Manor was a safe place, where no member of her family in their right mind would have dared to set foot, their shoes to precious to sink into what looked like a giant mud-bath. She walked with irregular steps and uneven speed, slowly and almost running, grabbing and cracking small branches with her woolen-gloved hands. Had she been allowed to have her wand, and, most importantly, to use it, she would have smashed the whole blasted wood and set it to fire. Anything to ease the tremendous wave of…anger, annoyance, rage, and self-disappointment that had taken over her since Christmas day. Salazar curse that useless holiday.

Tucking her thick scarf tighter around her neck, Daphne let out a sigh. The dark gray sky fitted so perfectly her mood, that she doubted sunny days had ever existed.

She had kissed Cedric Diggory.

Not made out with, not ravaged, not raped Cedric Diggory.

That would have been acceptable for a Slytherin, especially with the leaving him heartbroken.

No.

She had kissed Cedric Diggory, and it had been incredibly sweet and warm and it had made her heart skip beats and filled her stomach with butterflies and her head with thin air and all those soppy things people say about kissing and blah blah blah.

Dead honest, Daphne felt like throwing up.

What had made her more enraged, when they had parted from that last breathtaking kiss and went back to the Ministry party, and she had gone home, and she had not spoken a word to Draco, to her mother, to Astoria, to anyone, what had made her more enraged when she had come back to her senses, when she was Daphne again and not that foolish puppet, that _thing_that had taken control of her body, what had made her more enraged had been that she could not blame it on Cedric Diggory.

And the sudden realization of the lack of someone to take the blame had coincided with her grip on her wand getting firmer, and her whole bedroom exploding in a whirlwind of tiny wood splinters.

As a matter of fact, she had been glad that her parents and their servants were so good at _Reparo _spells. But seeing the furniture back in one piece and back to place had made that tickly urge to blast the goddamn room again, and again, and again, and that was when her father, without a word, had grabbed the wand and locked it away.

Burn in hell, Hufflestuff.

He was making her lose her mind, in the literal sense of the expression. Blasting things? Setting woods on fire? Come on Daphne, honestly! That was definitely too much even for her, she thought.

The girl sat on a not-too muddy rock, and contemplated her boots. Had they been brown all along? She actually did not remind owing a brown pair of boots. But probably the thick, persistent layer of mud on them was tricking her. Lucrezia Da Carrara Greengrass wouldn't have allowed her to wear brown, anyways; black and grey, and that was it. Daphne's hand moved towards her pocket, before she froze, biting her lip to repress the growl of rage followed by a curse on all the Diggory genealogy. Heh, a cleaning spell would've come naturally, but how to cast it, _wand-less_?

She really hoped that in that very moment Cedric Diggory was having an unpleasant time. Head chopped off by some gigantic spider, or something very dramatic and blood-filled along the lines.

And when images of his arms around her making her forget about the cold wind on the rooftop came to her mind, she felt the urge of having him there, perhaps not merely for the aforementioned recreational activities.

Bloody Diggory, rot in hell.

Kicking away some pebbles, resulting in an ulterior mud-layer on her once black boots, the Greengrass girl decided that something had to be done.

Since she couldn't kill Diggory any time soon, even if it would have been a boost to her mood, something else should be planned. Possibly something involving the other two Curses, those that did not imply the direct death of the subject.

If the Salazar-forsaken Hufflepuff was to die after a prolonged usage of the Cruciatus curse, it was not certainly up to her. Was she to blame for his physical weakness?

Pushing him off the Astrology tower and making it look like an accident. Sure, she could not boast about her merits in freeing the world from the Golden Boy plague, but that was the prize to pay for the immense satisfaction and the…

Straight to the point Daphne, straight to the point, she thought. What she needed was a rational, objective exam of the matter. Suggestions, anyone?

Draco had annoyed her. She had dragged Diggory out of the hall and on to the rooftop. She had _deliberately_ kidnapped him after witnessing that Chang-thing with her tentacles all over him about to devour him, and had _deliberately, willingly, pleasantly _kissed him when he least expected it. She had _loved_every moment of it. Cedric Diggory was in her hands, not the opposite. She had been the one to mess up everything.

Guilty of all charges, that's what she was. Salazar forgive her.

And now? She refused to admit that Draco was right, that was categorical.

What could she do, but give in?

Precisely, she couldn't but give in to whatever that was.

Daphne stood still, a hand on her chin.

That was out of the question. Giving up, ha.

Hell no.


	25. Chapter 25

25. THE BIRDS AND THE BATS

Draco lay idly on the big leather couch in front of the fireplace. He had always found somewhat appropriate that even the firelight, normally sticking to a definition of "warm and bright", in the Slytherin common room had a pale and cold shade. Appropriate indeed.

With long fingers, he traced the contours of the book closed on his knees, and moved his head to the side, so that he would get rid of that annoying lock of pale blonde hair that kept falling on his eyes.

He could feel Pansy's eager eyes burning on his skull, but that was something that long years of training had turned into nothing more than routine, on something he could take for granted, on something as sure as the day would start tomorrow with rain. No matter what, he was sure that little Miss Chatterbox Parkinson would always be there.

Eyes fixed on the fire, he pushed away the thought of Pansy as a backup plan. Draco loved having control over people and things, it made him feel safe, even though "safe" was not exactly what a Malfoy stood for. But Salazar knew how much a nice backup plan could come in handy at times like those.

Draco was not blind. He had seen them all gather in the secret room under the Malfoy crypt, Goyle, Crabbe, Nott, Greengrass, and all the other seniors, cloaks hoods and masks and all that their ritual required.

He had heard hissing and cursing in the dark alleys of his own manor, he had heard Theo and her screaming.

Draco had nothing against restoring the Dark Lord and all that jazz, nothing against it at all, as long as he was positive he would've fallen on two feet.

Crabbe and Goyle had been staring at Draco Malfoy in silence all along, for about an hour. They were _sure_ he was thinking about something of importance, of something worthy of such a mind as Draco's…

But still. That _was_ boring. Usually Draco would have them do something fun like teasing younger kids, annoying girls, or well, something less fun like doing things for him, but at least Malfoy would have them do _something. _Like, _anything_, to keep them busy.

"Hei Dra, why don't we go throwing stuff at Mudblood and Weasel?" started Crabbe rather timidly, playing nervously with his chubby fingers.

"Yes yes!" nodded Goyle in excitement, clapping his hands. Crabbe took a quick look at their cooler, blonder friend, and then at Goyle, a not-so-smart grin plastered on his face. Seriously. At times, Crabbe thought that Goyle was not that much of a clever mind.

Draco stood impassible. He looked at his two subordinates, then turned his back to the fire, eyes scanning the room for anyone interesting. It was about time he woke up from that comatose state he had fallen into after those two endless hours of McGonagall…

No one in sight.

"Lads" stated the pale boy, standing up and cracking his backbone "today it's birds-watching."

"Whoohooo!" cheered Goyle, a closed fist in the air exultantly. Finally, for Serpents' sake! _If_ Draco had stood there for some other 2 minutes, he would have had to consider the day a loss of precious teenager time.

"Draco" Crabbe looked rather thoughtful as he spoke, a hand in his pocket and another one on his chin "I know we're in the dungeon, so we really can't tell, but I assume it's kinda dark out there…isn't it?"

Draco, who had already begun walking towards the entry of the common room, stopped to face the smaller boy, not interrupting the gesture of fixing his hair and the collar of his shirt.

Crabbe panicked. He knew all too well that when Draco Malfoy felt contradicted, he became marvelously enraged. He just knew it. Frantically, the boy tried to choose his words as carefully as his brain allowed him to.

"It's not like…like I want to contradict you, Dra, not at all, huh…" he half stammered, earning a lift of the brow from the boy he was so afraid of. Draco stared at him rather questioningly. Goyle had stopped understanding what in the world had gotten into his friends. Bird-watching, no? well why weren't they going for it then?

Tired of waiting for an answer, Draco tried to press Crabbe into talking more. "What the hell was your point, Crabbe?"

"I don't…I don't have anything against birdies, Dra…I think it's a great idea you had and all and well…huh…just…" he stammered.

Draco was getting more and more threatening in the boy's eyes.

"I just think we won't see many of them, apart from the bats now in this dark, and I am pretty sure that bats are not birds but mammals, so!" he half shouted, eyes shut and cheeks flushed for the effort.

The other two Slytherin stared at him for a couple of moments, as if to make sure that he was actually serious.

Goyle did not mean to be rude or anything, not at all, Salazar forbid, Crabbe was a friend of his and all…but he honestly thought that his other friend was not so smart at times.

Draco just sighed, and headed to the door.


	26. Chapter 26

Thanks to Shmeg23 for reviewing and to everyone else for reading, I have a couple of chapters ready, and graduation coming soon! Yay!

26. GAMES AND TOYS

Daphne stretched her arms and yawned. Pansy, with a disgusted expression that did not compliment her features, placed the chocolate muffin in the palm of her open hand.

"That stuff is going to make you fat and ugly, Daph" came her comment when Daphne idly started chewing on it. "It's going to make you fat and ugly, and then the cholesterol will reach the stars, and you'll have a stroke and you'll die, and you know that black doesn't look nice on me, and that would mean me skipping your funeral, and quite frankly, I will probably feel guilty for a couple of days if that was the case." she went on, sipping on some more tea.

Daphne was chewing.

Not speaking, not giving any sign of life, nothing at all. Just chewing on her 6th double-chocolate muffin, her fringe on her eyes, which was something unthinkable for neurotic-Daphne-before-class. Yes, weird.

Millicent and Pansy could not restrain from bending in her direction, trying to spot the object of such absorbing interest.

"Oh not that again" the Bullstrode girl sighed, while her short haired friend simply buried her face in her hands. Daphne had lost it. Daphne was dead. That shiny perfect Hufflestuff had killed her. Now he would take her body to his cave or wherever those pathetic Hufflemoles lived, and they would never see Daphne again. Adieu.

The girl straightened her back, and after scrolling the crumbles from her hands and her mouth, she pinned her fringe with a random hairpin. She had earned a few stares, that morning. And not in her usual way. Daphne had started being rather casual and random, and really too spaced out to be mean anymore, or to be elegant anymore, or to be anything anymore. And that was mostly disliked.

"I swear" she began quietly "that if that Ravenclaw hag sends me another glare, I will do something particularly evil, and most likely illegal. She is just there, looking like a Dementor trying to suck out his life or spine or whatever…"

"She doesn't like you" confirmed Millicent. Stating the obvious was no longer real obvious with Little Lady Greengrass.

"More like she hates her, Mills" chuckled Zabini, sitting beside Daphne and fixing her pull, her shirt, her tie, her hair…Daphne did not say a word, not even switching position.

"My god Day, change boyfriend, this one is turning you into a wreck" he stated, evidently saddened that his favorite Barbie doll was letting herself go like that. Clearly what's beautiful stays beautiful, but her noble allure, that casual elegance that had always been a trademark of her were somehow blurred by this pink hearts aura made in Hufflepuff. "I wouldn't exactly feel fond of you anyways, if you had stolen my Golden Boy while I was working my magic on him…"

"Magic…Magic Salazar's ass, Zab. She was about to eat him. You know, table dressed and forks and spoons and all. Like hmm, yummy. Like chomp crunch…"

"Enough, Daphne!" he cut short horrified "you started regressing to a point where you unlearnt even vocabulary and grammar!" he slammed his hand on the table, making the girl jump.

"But I…" she started, but was abruptly interrupted.

"No damn but, Day, no effing but at all.

Daphne could not really debate: he was so awfully right it, and that was what made it sound wrong. The Greengrass girl herself had a few weeks before pondered about the joys and pains of getting too close to such elements as Golden Boys, Hufflepuffs, Quidditch captains and the sort. She should've sticked to misusing poor Ravenclaws, abusing tiny Slytherins, blatantly using Gryffindors, but nothing in the world should have let her take a step closer to those filthy Hufflepuffs, deceiving cursed creatures, as harmless as a poisoned muffin. It was not entirely her fault, she could always blame Draco for convincing her in taking the goddamn bet and…

And she had fallen completely under the spell of a Hufflewhatever. Who had not even tried that hard, she had to admit it. She had to admit she had tried to eat him and instead of eating she had been eaten. Was it really the end of her Slytherinish proverbial demeanor?

The girl considered taking another muffin, but Zabini's piercing look told her otherwise. She resolved with standing up and walking straight out of the Hall, heading to a class she was way too early for, followed by him.

"The point is, Daphne" he told her, once they were safe into the chaos of the corridors, where sleepy people were dragging themselves in opposite directions, and where late ones ran hitting people and making Mr Filch wish he actually had powers "the point is, that it's not about the stupid bet anymore. That was your first mistake." The girl snorted, but he went on. "Your second mistake, after taking the goddamn bet, was forgetting he was taking one, too" her eyes went wide with indignation, but he cut her short "and I don't dare implying that you're starting to have feelings for the guy, but I'm bloody sure you do, Salazar be my witness."

Taking her black headband from her bag, Daphne decided it was time to get rid of that irritating fringe. She had just started considering getting a haircut –anything but thinking about what Zab was not-so-subtly asserting, when a most irritating voice made her paralyze, and made her friend grab her arm and try to speed up, unsuccessfully.

"Do not you think that Cedric has feelings, Greengrass?"

Daphne did not need to turn to know that Cho Chang was standing right behind her, hands on her hips and that look she had when she was convinced she was doing the right thing.

"We should go to the infirmary Blade, my ears feel weird" the Slytherin girl commented when taking her first step out of that unpleasant situation.

"Oh sure, Princess Greengrass is superior to common people's feelings. "

At half of her second step, Daphne froze again. Sweet, sweet feeling of indecision, shall I crush her, shall I behave… "Zab, do you hear this annoying sound, too?" she touched her ears to add drama. Zabini sighed "No, I hear nothing at all Day, leave scum alone and let's…"

Cho placed a hand on the taller girl's shoulder "Stop toying with him, Greengrass."

At this, the internal struggle of the Slytherin ended abruptly. In one single motion she grabbed the Ravenclaw's wrist and twisted it, turning to face her.

"Or else? What the hell do you want, pigeon" she hissed.

Cho Chang pulled her wrist away from the other girl's grip. "Exactly what I said. Leave Cedric Diggory alone, Greengrass. He does not deserve to be part of your sadist games."

"I'm giving you the chance to evaporate under my eyes this very instant, Chang. Take it."

"You're reacting like this cos you know I am so damn bloodily right, Greengrass. Just leave him alone."

Daphne sighed. "Why don't people ever take the chances they're given… seriously Chang, disappear, this instant, you and your petulant annoying voice and remarks. Bye."

"Soon Cedric will see right through your pretty looks. You're deceiving, evil, bitchy, and bossy, you're mean, you're manipulative, you're…"

"_Silencio! Petrificus Totalus!_" hissed Daphne, her wand in her hand. And Cho was suddenly silent and very, very still. "THIS is a sadist game, Chang. This is the sadist game where you can make no sound, where you can't move at all, and where I cast a Cruciatus Curse on you, and I won't even hear your screams or anything."

Marietta Edgecombe, who had stood right behind Cho the whole time, ran away shrieking.

Daphne rolled her eyes. This meant detention.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_" she said, and Cho was upside down, and flying to the ceiling, and flying to the ground, like hanging from an invisible thread, following Daphne's wand.

"Daphne Greengrass!" Professor Sprout hurried clumsily to where Cho was levitating, and broke both spells.

"Professor Sprout" Daphne smiled.

***

The Invidiae Bombatus needed a haircut, Professor Sprout had stated when she confiscated Daphne's wand.

And now, after a whole day of classes, there she was, cutting the nineteenth Invidia, with only eighty-ones left. At least they were not particularly revolting, Daphne thought. At least she had felt like in the good old' days, when she was Daphne, and they were losers. At least Draco and Zab and Pansy and Tracey had stopped complaining about her sissy-self for a while. All that. Plus detention.

When she heard the door of the greenhouse closing, Daphne thought that this was all a curse, that someone had messed with her perfectly traced destiny plotline, with the unfathomable unfathomableness of her fate.

"Just go away" she spat out, when Cedric kissed her cheek and she raised her hand to clean her face from such dirt. "Place as many miles between us as you can, before I play my sadist Chang-game on you."

"Wandless? Nah" he chuckled, sitting on the table she was working on. He was used to Daphne's talk by now.

The girl pointed at the sharp scissors in her hand. Blood would just cause more trouble.

"Daphne you should stop messing with Cho, it's bad for your school records."

"Chang should stop existing in my same dimension." She cut a purple heart shaped leaf of the Invidia.

Cedric turned serious. "I know what's going on Daphne. I know that you know." She eyed him waiting for an explanation. "Yeah about my bet, about your bet, all that. People talk you know, and not all Slytherins are so Slytherin at heart, and not all Hufflepuffs are so harmless."

She cut two leaves of the Invidia at once, and the plant slapped her offended.

"Cool" she replied casually, planting the scissors on the earth inside the vase and dodging another slap. "So what?"

"So I need to know things, Daphne."

"Are you Cho Chang?" she asked suspiciously.

He sighed.

She grabbed her bag and headed to the door of the Greenhouse with long, quick steps. She'd deal with the teacher later.

"You know stuff already, Diggory."

He followed her, smiling, not knowing if in victory or in defeat.


	27. Chapter 27

27. THE PORCH

Daphne had once again eluded the patrolling Dementors, wondering how they were meant ti stop Sirius Black from entering the school, as a third year could quietly make her way in and out the castle's perimeter.

She had spent some quiet hours sitting on a rock at the lake, letting the cold air of a January late afternoon do the job of emptying her mind for her. It was only when she felt she had reached the limit of hypothermia that she decided it was about time to leave the Black Lake's shores for a warmer place.

A dark hooded figure in the pale moonlight, the Slytherin girl hurried to the first warm place that popped to her mind. It was Friday night, and Diggory would most likely be finished with his training session. Her only hope was not to cross clingy-Chang on her way for Ravenclaw Quidditch training – Merlin forbid that, in the mood she was, she could have easily hexed her to death, and this was likely to be the kind of stuff that sends you off to Azkaban.

Daphne had something of a certain importance to tell Diggory. Something she hadn't said since the Theodore Nott days, the Dark Lord help her. But she couldn't really deny it was somewhat necessary, in order to stop the downfall of the previous days. Muffins had become some kind of drug, sleep a stranger, and Ravenclaws had learnt to avoid crossing her path, unless they craved some lemming-like end.

As she came closer to the changing room, she could see the shiny white curls of steam coming out of the chimney being carried away by the wind, and couldn't help but smile at the thought she might be able to discuss with a _clean _and not sweaty Diggory.

No Chang was in sight, and that was already a good sign. Were the stars, for once, smiling at her? The vision of a hooded Cedric Diggory carrying a sports bag made her think that maybe she was.

"Diggory!" Daphne called out. Seeing him stop and stare, surprise on his face, wondering how a Dementor could have Daphne Greengrass' voice, she took off her hood, freeing her long wavy hair. His surprised expression changed into a warm smile, and Daphne felt her heart skip a beat. Yes, she was so so so definitely doing the right thing.

"Do you have some ten minutes, Hufflestuff?" she asked, trying her best to smooth her normally arrogant tone. Cedric sighed. "I thought that after you had kissed me the Hufflestuff days were over." Daphne had not thought him so at ease with that topic, and for a few seconds she really had no idea what to say. "Yes well. So? You have time?" she insisted. He nodded, and she started walking towards the castle's walls, looking for a quiet place.

Cedric followed her without questioning; by now he knew all too well that Daphne always did things for a reason -not giving further explanations included.

They walked down the bridge in silence, and kept walking, until they reached one of the small porches in the eastern wing of the castle. Prolonged silence between them was awkward and unusual; their meetings had always been characterized by discussions, screaming, open-hearted confessions or plain insults.

The feeling of being completely alone with Cedric was giving a hard time to the Slytherin girl. If Cedric seemed to be waiting patiently for her to say what she had to say, Daphne was about to lose her cool, and that weird feeling in her stomach did not really help.

"Listen, Cedric." she started, after she took a big breath. He looked at her, and made her a sign as if to tell that he was ready to listen. "Shit" she said more to herself "you see, I had prepared this speech and all, precisely to avoid…well, avoid this. But apparently I cannot seem to understand any of what I wanted to say." She sat on a stone bench, and a shiver ran down her spine. The marble was cold, the wind was colder, but the cold was not what was making her hands shake.

Cedric sat beside her. "You've told me such rude things that I really don't see why you could feel timid all of a sudden, Daphne. What's the matter?" Oh, that was the question. What was the matter?

She turned to face him, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. "I haven't slept in ten days, I am nervous, I feel this…this empty, weird thing in my stomach, and I just cannot seem to fill it no matter how many muffins I eat a day" Daphne was just letting everything out, not even hearing what she was saying, not even aware of what she was saying "and then I see you smiling at Cho Chang and all, and well, my stomach just seems to, I don't know, my stomach just feels weirder, and I get arrhythmia, or something like it, and it feels just so bad that…" she had started sobbing, and she had not even realized that Cedric, bewildered at first, was now wiping away with his fingers the tears that had been rolling down. "That..?" he asked, encouraging her to finish.

That what? Daphne had no idea how she had began that sentence, and no idea how to finish it. A sob louder than the others escaped her lips, and she brought her hand to her eyes, now sobbing uncontrollably. "Just stop seeing Cho Chang, Diggory, it really sucks. Please? It sucks so bad it hurts, really."

Cedric's eyes widened. He was not sure he had understood what she meant by that. Daphne seemed to read it in his eyes. She sniffed, and then spoke again "I don't know, just stop seeing her, or just stop seeing me, or something, because really, it…"

"Are you asking me to be together, Daphne Greengrass?" was all he said. His voice was shaky, but his tone was calm and serious. Dead serious.

Daphne just buried her head on his chest.

Her shoulders felt lighter, as if a big, heavy burden had just been removed, and now she was free to breathe again. But Cedric gently pushed her away. This time it was her turn to be surprised.

"You won't even say it, Daphne." He got up and took a few steps before he heard her voice again.

"Diggory!" she exclaimed "I won't even say it? I won't even say it? Do you have an idea how much this – this thing cost me? Bringing myself to _admit_, to both yourself and myself, that you might not repulse me? Do you, Diggory?"

He turned. "I do, Daphne; but it is not enough."

She dried her eyes, and closed the distance between them. Cedric looked at her. The wind was playing with her hair (he could smell the scent of her shampoo), and had reddened her cheeks, normally so white; her eyes were still shiny with tears, but in her face there was a new expression, one he had never seen on Daphne Greengrass. He did like her. He had started liking her long ago, that snowy Saturday spent in Hogsmeade. But then again, Daphne Greengrass was easy to like, yet way easier to hate. And he had been walking on that thin line between the two for too long.

Daphne had never had to do anything like this. Boys came and asked her, not the other way round. And either she turned them down, or, like with Roger, she was the one to set the rules of the game. For the first time, it occurred to her that rejection might be a possibility. She was trying hard not to think of that, but found lying to herself impossible.

Somehow, though, she managed to gather all that arrogance, all that boldness that normally make Daphne Greengrass herself.

"I think I like you a lot, Cedric" she paused to study her reaction. What to say, next? Was she to make an official request? Merlin, this was hard.

Cedric was suppressing a smile. For once, he could see Daphne being honest; and he was going to enjoy this a little more. His face was a mask of studied seriousness.

"I don't want you to be with anyone else." She continued. She had not meant to make it sound like an order, but that was just the way she talked –the way she was. "Please, be mine?" she added, with an ultimate effort.

She had barely had the time to speak those words, when Cedric bent his head to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him so bad, but a smile formed on her lips that just wouldn't go away.

"My Hufflestuff" she giggled, and pushed him closer to kiss him.


	28. Chapter 28

Well it appears i am back, at least for some time. My life has been pretty messy the past year, i moved abroad etc, but i often found myself thinking about ways in which i could continue my story. And as summer time means summer holidays, i'll try to make the most of it, and put down some of the ideas that have been in my head for way too long now!

Thank you Shmeg :D i was surprised myself haha :D i hope you enjoy the chapter!

28. LUNATIC

Cedric stepped forward, his gray eyes staring into Daphne's, an uncertain smile coming to the surface on his lips.

Slowly, he raised his hand; the tips of his fingers lightly touched her reddened cheeks.

Daphne jumped at such a gentle contact, and, gaining confidence, moved closer to him. She was now exploring his face, whose features seemed carved in marble by the finest sculptor.

He could feel his skin burn under her touch. He did not even notice he was getting closer to her lips. Cedric realized he was kissing Daphne only when he felt the warmth of the contact, and when the kiss was deepening already. The Slytherin passed her arms around his neck to pull him even closer, her chest pressed closely to his, to the point that she could feel his heart beating.

The wind made his broom fall with a dry thud, but not even that seemed to bring them back to reality.

His hands tightened around her waist, and, holding her even closer, he could feel her breasts against his chest. Daphne's hand was buried in his hair, caressing him lasciviously.

As soon as she noticed that he was completely lost, her heart skipped a beat, and she panicked. Slowly, she set him free and interrupted the contact between their lips.

"I need to go" she breathed, in a voice that he mistook for lustful. "I will…see you around" she added quickly, more to herself.

She made as if to go, stopped abruptly and turned to press her lips on his one last time half smiling, and left.

Daphne had realized she had just made possibly the biggest mistake of her whole existence.

Cedric stood still for a few minutes. He was pondering on what to do next: self declaring himself crazy, or believing once and for all that Daphne Greengrass might actually feel something. For him.

Between the two, he decided while picking up the broom, the first one was way more plausible. Only that now he could consider himself as _having a girlfriend_.

Daphne laid idly on her bed, her Transfiguration book on her knees, her mind somewhere else.

Why had her life to be such a drama?

She had been waiting for three whole days –pretending to be ill, and having Cedric sent away with the excuse that she was really in no condition to see him. Thrice. A day.

She had been waiting for three whole days.

Three days ago she had kissed Cedric Diggory, cried like a fountain (something for which she had despised her own self profusely and profoundly, considering it to be too Chang-like), begged him to be hers.

She had been waiting for three whole days – what for? In the name of Merlin, she had no idea. She only knew that the events of the past days had left her bewildered, shocked, and in need of peace. She was too good a student for the teachers to complain, and too good an actress not to convince Mme Pomfrey of her need of sleep and rest.

She looked the clock at the bottom of the dormitory: it was late, almost midnight. Diggory would probably be out patrolling. She cared little of the past nighttime-excursions of that Black crazed wizard –if it was Potter he wanted, she would not stop him for the world.

Closing with respect the leather-covered volume, and got up with grace. She hardly felt tired.

Sitting on the old mahogany chair before her writing desk, she pulled out from one of the drawers a squared piece of parchment, the size of a postcard.

Pulling her hair back, Daphne took one of her favorite quills, and dipped the nib into the dark red ink. Sighing, she wrote down in her usual elegant calligraphy only few words.

_Midnight, Astronomy Tower._

_-Daphne._

She flicked her wand, and with a "_Dimitto_" the piece of parchment folded itself neatly in four and disappeared, only to reappear in the hands of one Cedric Diggory.

The night was so cold that she regretted having chosen the Astronomy Tower of all places in Hogwarts. If only there had been _one_ quiet room in which to hide to talk quietly in the whole of Hogwarts…

Maybe Diggory had not read the paper. Maybe he was done with patrolling already, and was in bed or something. Maybe he was reasonably offended by that three-days communicational black-out. Confused, she was sure. Not like she wasn't confused herself.

Whatever. She headed back to the stairs –Daphne Greengrass did _not_ wait for other people.

And that was exactly when Cedric chose to enter, smiling brightly. "Daphne" he whispered, as if he feared being heard by someone in the night. He approached the girl who had frozen on the stairs, and leaned to kiss her. But Daphne dodged. Surprised, but being accustomed to Daphne and surprises, he arched an eyebrow. He studied her in the moonlight; her hair was parted in the middle, and her bangs styled into two braids meeting behind her head. She was not wearing her uniform, but some tight jeans and a loose v-neck pull –he could not see if black or blue in the moonlight. Her pale skin seemed even paler than usual.

"Hi, Cedric" she said in a low voice.

What had she asked him to meet for, again? She could not recall.

He was the handsomest boy –or man- she had ever seen, she had to admit it. His good nature, though, was a curse one could not escape. What had she thought of three days ago?

"I'm taking back what I said, _Diggory_" she stressed his surname voluntarily "I cannot do this –_we_ cannot do this."

He sighed. To be sure she would come out with something like this. What had he gotten himself into? She was _lunatic_.

She passed him, and made his way to the door, but he was quicker, and evidently shaken. What the…

Enough!

She was tired…

Tired of holding back for the sake of the Dark Lord knows what.

Her look changed in a second.

She reached him and stood between him and the closed door, and stared deep into his eyes, his tempest gray eyes, and smiled.

Daphne clung to his cloak, and kissed him –in all honesty, the very last thing Cedric would have expected of her.

She held stronger onto the fabric between her fingers, sure that her legs would have failed her.

"I'm sorry" she breathed "it's just that I am really not good at _this_". Of course she was not good at relationships, the only serious one she had had, had been with Theodore Nott, began from a real big mistake of one night, and ending in a three-months tragically bad mood that had cost not few pieces of furniture to Hogwarts. And Davies and the rest, those were just appetizers.

At the sight of that spoiled Snake Princess throwing her indifferent mask away, Cedric's eyes went wide –once more- in amazement.

The Slytherin swallowed hard, feeling she was _again_ making one of the biggest mistakes of her life. Her 'whatever' attitude would not save her this time. She was so ashamed that she felt like crying, but before she could lower her eyes to give in to tears, his strong arms were around her.

"Look at me" he said. His warm voice convinced her to lift her head, only to find him smiling.

Daphne was not sure what she saw in his eyes, but, whatever it was, it was deep, it was real, and it was only for her.


	29. Chapter 29

I would like to thank Viv and XD (lol) and everyone who added Laurel enjoy the chapter!

29. LOYALTY AND SALAZAR

An uncommon silence spread among those sitting at the Slytherin table, that morning. Their eyes were unable to look in a direction other than the enormous, wooden door of the Great Hall. Draco Malfoy, forgetting his elegant and gracious ways, choked on his porridge, and coughed loudly not to die. Not even that seemed to wake his fellows housemates from that spell. Soon, also the other tables were silent and aghast.

Blaise Zabini was the first one to come back to reality. An extremely ridiculous reality, but reality nevertheless. He observed the offended look on Draco's face, and wondered why he was not thinking the same. Surely such a sight was surely insulting, for a Slytherin in their right mind.

"This is wrong" hissed Draco "disgusting, disturbing, but above all" he paused significantly "this is wrong.". Pansy nodded, not sure what to think. Not sure what she was seeing was…real, as it seemed barely realistic.

"I'll tell her that, exactly like this. Daphne, this is wrong, I'll tell her. Very, very wrong." He added, turning away from the wooden door, as if it was burning his eyes.

"Daphne will be Daphne" minimized Blaise, helping himself to another spoonful of muesli and fresh fruits.

Slowly, excited giggles and whispers coming from all tables filled the air. This was something that people would talk about for a long, long time. Daphne Greengrass and Cedric Diggory making such an entrance, that was something memorable. "This is not going to pass the week" Tracey heard a Ravenclaw state.

They had entered the room holding hands, and absorbed in a deep conversation. They had stopped, and Cedric had placed a kiss on Daphne's lips, who responded way too warmly. As soon as she had noticed, she had pulled away embarrassed, and he had laughed. At last, Diggory kissed Daphne on the forehead, the last of a series of kisses that to Draco had seemed to be taking _hours, _and they parted, making their way to their own table, looking rather embarrassed.

Daphne was looking radiant. Her tall and slender figure was moving even more gracefully than usual, especially when she turned her head to exchange one last look with the Hufflepuff Captain. Her lips seemed redder, her dark eyes brighter … Malfoy was used to Daphne Greengrass looking like the nymph she had been named after… what disturbed him was the glowing aura that emanated from her that morning. Daphne was _beautiful_ and _untouchable_. It seemed to him now that Daphne was way too touchable, when Diggory was involved.

Nott's lack of reaction when she sat beside him infuriated Draco all the more. What the hell was wrong with that girl, for Salazar's sake! And with Theodore, too! He had to talk her out of it, really.

Daphne was chewing happily on her cupcake, when she called out for Tracey and Pansy, pointing at the Ravenclaw table. At least she had not lost it completely, Draco sighed, watching her grin evilly at a desperate Cho Chang, in tears as he had never seen her before.

The Ravenclaw was staring exactly back at Daphne, who silently spelled out something that made the sobs go louder and louder. Something like 'M I N E'. Pansy and Tracey were laughing uncontrollably. He let the spoon fall into the almost completely cold porridge in front of him, and raised his eyes in a silent prayer for the Dark Lord to help him.

"Daphne, will you please behave" Blaise stood up and proceeded to smooth the creases in his shirt. He looked down at the girl, and fixed the neckline of her Slytherin blazer. "It's not because you date an Hufflepuff that you must look like one. They are just so dull-looking.". Again, Malfoy sighed. It was not really her looks he was worried about.

"Thanks" she replied, not losing the focus on the icing of her third cupcake.

She played with the fishtail braid resting on her shoulder for a couple of seconds, basking in the spectacle of an unconsolable Chang, then grabbed her designer bag and made her way out of the Great Hall.

Draco sprinted and joined her, giving the girls that were about to follow her a very meaningful look.

"Draco, you are not going to ruin my mood today." Daphne declared, guessing his intentions. "I am having a terrific good day; now I'll head to Defense, then I'll have lunch, maybe spend some time with _him_, sleep a bit during Astrology…"

"I understand you're feeling…_self-satisfied_, you know" he began "you won the bet and all you want, so please will you just forget about this madness and go on with your life?"

"I had actually forgotten about that bet" Daphne mumbled, dodging a couple of second years running in the corridor.

Draco groaned "Yes, you seem to forget quite a lot of things, lately". His shoulder hit hard on a first year Hufflepuff, making him fall flat on the floor of the corridor. "Things like you're in Slytherin, Daphne. Or things like you come from a noble family, or that your loyalty belongs somewhere else." he said gravely.

The girl chuckled. "I'm just dating Cedric Draco, we're not engaged to be married or anything!" she paused, opening the second button of her candid shirt "And even if it was the case, I don't really see how this could affect _you_."

He sighed. "Daphne, I'm saying this for you. What would people think? Since you started this thing with Diggory you are not you anymore! When was the last time you jinxed a first year?"

She arched a brow "Yes, 'cause your respectability is directly proportional to the number of first years you jinx, right. Draco I really don't see why you make such…"

"Cos it's wrong Daphne! It's wrong! Okay, he is a pureblood, he is handsome and is good at school, Quidditch and snogging apparently" and here he held his arm where she had violently punched it "but he is not among those who count, Daphne. Even now, you cannot allow to be seen with someone like him. It's bad for your future reputation."

They stopped in front of the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, still almost deserted. "Daphne, listen to me" Draco insisted "can't you just pick someone from your own house? It has always been so, why would you go through all the trouble of changing things?"

It was true; she perfectly knew Draco was right.

Rodolphus Lestrange, Slytherin, had married Bellatrix Black, Slytherin.

Lucius Malfoy, Slytherin, had married Narcissa Black, Slytherin.

Arthur Weasley, Gryffindor, had married Molly Prewett, Gryffindor.

James Potter, Gryffindor, had married Lily Evans, Gryffindor.

It had always been so. The Sorting Hat did not only tell you who you were, or decide where you would sleep, and with whom. It decided who you were going to be, who you were going to love. It was an unbreakable set of rules, written in air and blood, way more important than the decrees written in ink. Way, way more important than those rules the professors could punish you for.

And she would have to abide, eventually. She would.

She was one of the finest examples of Slytherin ever produced. Just that.

Daphne Greengrass meant nothing.

"You are in Slytherin, Daphne." Draco's voice, in spite of the proud expression on his face, was a plea.

Daphne grinned, and patted his shoulder before entering the classroom. "If even temporary bonds between the Houses could cause so much harm, I am perfectly confident that Salazar would have found a way not to make his students fall in love, don't you think?"

Draco sighed, and followed.


End file.
